For All the Marbles
by drufan
Summary: There is always a price for pride. You know that includes whumpage and everyone's invited. Rated for violence, language and mature themes.
1. Prologue: Company Comes a Knockin'

_A/N: As I'm writing this, the season ender shows and I think, "Nuts, the writers and I are on a similar tangent." It's too late for me to come up with a different story so…Enjoy my version of the events. Spoilers for anything before Michael. My other stories are also referenced especially When and Solar Tempest, so you might want to peruse. The prologue takes place just after When and the series episode Aurora. The next chapter picks up after Coup D'etat._

_Disclaimer: Not mine. Although in my deepest dreams and desires, I would take them home and take good care of them. And, call them George._

_Warning: Violence, mature themes and language._

**For All the Marbles**

Prologue

Company Comes a Knockin'

Beautiful. Simple elegance. From the designs; to the day; to the potential outcome; it was…no, it is and shall be perfection. Amazing what a lone dart with a lone warrior could do when given enough time. The information he compiled was extensive, maybe even considered stimulating.

Looking up into the expansive sky, she took a big breath into her lungs. She was unaccustomed to planetary atmosphere. The air held familiar and unfamiliar scents: sweet botanicals, burnt timber, animal sweat and more at which she could only guess. The breeze picked up tendrils of her amber hair as she exhaled.

The plans would take her hive to the pinnacle of her kind's hierarchy instead of the bottom where they floundered. And why not? They had survived when so-called greater hives had fallen victim to herd animal tactics. She would bide her time. She would find ways to cull and to stay hidden until that time was right. She would lead. She would feast.

They escaped from the debacle of invading the Lanteans city. One of the not so fortunate hives passed the information on to her at the last possible minute. She was supposed to transmit it to another more important Queen. As if.

With the tension between the hives escalating, she decided to keep the information for herself. With such important plans entrusted to her, they were what she needed to pick her hive up from the cesspool that they had languished in since awakening. In order to survive, her hive had succumbed to humiliating tactics like scavenging. Besides, it was her kind's sovereign right to feed, not to pick up the scraps left behind by others. In their possession was something to change all of that-- everything in a fingertip's grasp.

In the sunshine, footsteps approached from a large house that hid a treasure underneath it- a treasure to help with the schematics. The treasure held treasures. It was a fortuitous happenstance to find this little ball of mud. Moreover, it had yet to be culled. They searched many systems for an appropriate planet and here it rotated just waiting for them. Everything they needed with just a few revisions and updates, a true bounty of possible flawlessness. Fate favored them.

"Human, where did you get these?" She held up a nylon backpack and a small rectangular monitor. She admired and basked in the defiance radiating from the animal. Even lower creatures carried self-importance occasionally.

He stood between two of her drones matching their height and size easily. He appeared poised, as if this was just any other day. His pride expressed through his posture, which remained straight and tall.

"I picked them up at a bazaar on Staz. Where they obtained them from, I don't know. Of course, you can't ask them, can you? That planet's been culled." He held his head up and with his genteel voice, addressed her directly in her tangerine eyes.

Too bad pride was a sin.

"You lie human." She walked in a circle around him. "Try again." She ran a finger down the side of his fleshy face and reveled in his fear, anxiety and boldness. "Where?" Her voice became insistent, hypnotic.

"A booth on Staz," he gasped adamantly.

Her head bobbed back and forth mulling the answer over. "Very well then, I'll ask your offspring." She slammed her hand into his chest. The animal's eyes popped out of its head with the threat and sunk back in with the feeding. She felt him scream out of pain and fear for his daughters, the rush of life and emotion succulent. When she released him, dust kicked up from the previously manicured grounds as his husk collapsed to the earth.

There was always a price for pride.

She walked over to the first daughter in line. The child stared at the corpse with tears in her bright, delicious, brown eyes. She did not even need to ask the question. The child was speaking before the dust settled.

"The Atlanteans were here."

"Osy! That's enough!" One of the other offspring scolded her sister in a high-handed voice. It was the eldest if she had to make an assumption.

She gave a skeletal grin as she relieved the scolder of her life. "Go on," she smoothly commanded Osy while her hand drained the soon to be corpse.

_Yes,_ she thought as the child continued to explain with tears streaming down her graceful face, _possible flawlessness._

She dropped the body to the ground.

Only time would tell.

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_A/N: As always, I invite you to leave feedback. Hit, miss or say what?_


	2. Ch 1: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way

**For All the Marbles**

Chapter 1

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Back to the Stargate…

"You saw how she was looking at you; didn't you Rodney?" Elizabeth asked with a playful glint in her eye.

"Who?" He replied completely clueless while gnawing on a piece of beef jerky.

"That pretty, petite blonde who would not leave your side all evening," she said letting the playfulness and the glint remain as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"She wasn't my waitress?" Horror colored his face as another missed opportunity struck him smack dab in the middle of the forehead. The jerky hung out of the corner of his mouth as his eyes went from face to face. "She kept bringing me food!"

"No Rodney," Elizabeth could not help but let her amusement show now. "She was the Minister of Trade's eldest daughter." She sucked in her top lip to keep from outright laughing.

The others walking behind him were not so kind. They snickered and out right laughed at his expense.

"Rodney, you still have your head stuck up your…"

He wheeled around and addressed the miscreants and their leader who was the one speaking, "Oh shut up, all of you!" With the exclamation, he inhaled the jerky and started choking.

Their miscreant leader feigned the hurt in his body language. With a hand to his heart, Sheppard mock lamented, "Ouch McKay, that's the best you can come up with- shut up?" He waited for an answer while McKay tried to expel the offending dried meat from his esophagus.

Finally, McKay gave a big cough and it shot out onto the ground. Everyone's nose wrinkled.

"Now that's just gross McKay," added Ronon.

He glared at Ronon before refuting Miscreant Numero Uno. "Anything else would be loss on you delinquents," he snorted answering Sheppard's last question. He turned and started back up the ten foot wide road that led to the Stargate. He further illustrated his disdain with stomping, muttering and glares thrown over the shoulder.

Lorne, Teyla, Ronon and the rest of Lorne's team stopped and stared after him. Then they lost their battle with the stifled snickers and laughed even louder.

Still giggling like school girls, they started again along the road sandwiched between a cliff and a whitewater river ten feet below them. Otherwise known as: a rock and a hard place. Elizabeth threw a glance over her shoulder- hers was more amused- and ran to catch up with Rodney. With her went Cavanaugh, her second skin for the trip.

Corporal Lawrence Cavanaugh, poor kid had received endless taunts about sharing the same last name as the esteemed doctor. Lorne confessed, he thanked his lucky stars that this young man was a polar opposite and a damn good marine. He had taken his babysitting job seriously. Dr. Weir felt like she was wearing another coat.

The kid was as likeable as you could get. As a matter of fact, if Dr. Kavanagh ever returned and was slated to go off world, the corporal would most likely get saddled with him. He had the right temperament, things just rolled off his back, and he was smart.

With the moment of levity over, their work continued. All eyes raked the tree line across the river and the cliffs up above them. The planet had a few local skirmishes which did not sit well with Sheppard, especially with Weir here.

She had actually negotiated a peace settlement between the two largest disagreeing factions and set up a trade agreement. It was impressive seeing her in her natural environment and doing a job she loved. The job appeared more a vocation than a simple career. Very impressive.

Sheppard realized just how much he sucked at the job. He knew Teyla put him to shame, but Weir she was in a class by herself.

_But, could they fly a Blackhawk? No? Didn't think so._

Sheppard's eyes raked the ground again and landed on a patch of disturbed dirt just off the center of the road. He saw it right before another fresh faced Daedalus newbie placed his boot right on it. An Aussie if his memory served him- an unfortunate Aussie. The unmistakable click-click of an explosive device triggering taunted his ears.

"Get down! Mine!" He looked right at the fresh faced newbie and shouted, "Taylor! Get off! It's gonna blow anyway; it's Wraith!" He recognized that electronic count down from the Wraith grenade he experimented with on that dust bowl of a planet.

He intended to tackle the kid until someone tackled him. The kid incinerated as Sheppard was thrown backwards. That baby face disappeared in an intense and brilliant flash.

_His eyes weren't green were they?_ He thought it as the blast sent him and his savior back towards the river side of the roadway. The deafening sound wave washed over him and spots danced before his eyes as he waited for the impact with the ground. It never came.

The road was now above his head and it moved farther away- rapidly. Off to his right, his P90 flipped end over end as it sailed through the air. With fascination, he watched the rotation of the weapon. He fought the urge to calculate the RPMs. 1...2...3...

Sheppard's mind was brought back to reality when the other pair of arms released him. However, the owner's body was still in contact with his during their descent. Maybe, he should have been calculating the velocity of their fall.

He blinked his eyes to regain his focus. The air rushed by his mass until he hit the water like a watermelon on concrete. At least, that is what it felt like; he should have been splattered all over the surface of the river. The current immediately pulled him under the water and sped him away.

Sheppard struggled to release his pack that now felt like he stored cannonballs in it. He calmed himself and undid it. Next, he removed the vest as it too felt like lead weights were in all the pockets. The current let him surface after he shed the encumbrances. He caught sight of Ronon to his left who obviously was thrown off also.

Without warning, he got a face full of major. Facedown, Lorne whipped flaccidly along the current. Sheppard grabbed him and turned him over clumsily. It took about four attempts. He also attempted to keep the major's head above water after the flip and to remove his pack while keeping himself afloat. His attempt was successful for a very short while. He lost the pack- on purpose- and then lost Lorne- not on purpose- when an undercurrent dragged him and Lorne under again.

This time, resurfacing seemed a long shot at best before he lost the battle to hold his breath. When he was ready to take that last, watery inhale, the eddy spit him back up just in time to collide with a rock or boulder. His shoulder paid the price by dislocating.

_Damn, same one,_ he thought as he tried to stay above the surface.

Sheppard lost sight of Ronon and Lorne this time as he continued his slalom down river. Things hit him; he hit things; and he got doused by waves that kept his head under water just long enough for panic to set in. After a particularly rough drop, the river slowed enough for him to start a concerted effort to swim towards the shore. His dislocated arm created a drag, so it was more of a side arm swim combined with lots of leg kicks. A fallen tree turned out to be his second savior of the day. Using the branches, he pulled himself along until the riverbed was shallow enough to stand.

Spent, he inspected his appearance as he stood shivering and dripping. He smiled and thanked his Momma for teaching him to tie his shoes tight and nagging the hell out of him to wear a belt. Because, Lord have mercy, he still wore his pants and shoes. No vest and the shirt hung practically to his knees, but he had pants and shoes.

_Amen, Hallelujah._

When he reached dry land, he dropped to his knees gagging and spitting and trying to get the stinging water sensation out of his nose. Within a few moments, a shadow fell across his on the bank. He looked up and into the drenched Wookie face of Dex. He held an unconscious Major Evan Lorne draped over his shoulder. He knelt down and gently positioned the man on the ground.

Ronon plopped down next to him and exhaled with what Sheppard assumed was a wet, drowned rat cough. Up to this point, he had ignored the reality that he could not hear a single thing. No roar of a rampaging river; no sounds of nature; no gagging of a drowned colonel; no coughing of a drowned Satedan male; no rasping of a drowned major. Nothing, but a strange and annoying ringing.

_Crap._

Good chance eardrums were blown. _Delightful._ He pointed to his ears and Ronon shook his head. He also noticed a monumental shiner over Ronon's eye puffing out quite nicely. Rock meet Ronon's eye. Eye meet large, protruding, river boulder.

_Well, wasn't this another fine mess you've gotten me into Stanley or was it Ollie? Whatever._

Sheppard checked Lorne over with his limp arm dangling by his side. The water had numbed it enough that it only hurt a lot. Ronon tapped him on the good shoulder and pointed to his lifeless one.

_I can help._

John's eyebrows were lost in his hairline. Uncertainty painted on his face. His facial expressions asked, _Are you sure?_

Ronon returned the uncertainty with a stare that basically said, _Of course, I've been on the run so long I picked up a few tricks over those seven years. Why? Don't you trust me Sheppard?_

_Can't argue with that,_ he thought back at the imaginary conversation they were sharing. John nodded at him.

Ronon made sure Sheppard was ready and braced against the ground. With a wham, bam, thank you ma'am, Sheppard had partial use of his arm again along with tears in his eyes. Bangkok had nothing on Ronon. Of course, while Ronon did the reduction, he thought that he was the stupidest man on the planet for allowing the behemoth to touch him. Afterwards, he was still pretty sure he was stupid, but partial use of the arm presented one less worry.

Nice thing about being deaf- he could not hear himself scream and neither could Ronon. Hopefully, it had been manly. Bad thing about being deaf- he could not hear if anyone else heard him scream and neither could Ronon. He still hoped on the manly part.

He lay on the ground to catch his breath for several minutes. After sitting up, he checked Lorne once again: nice bump on the back of the head and wounds on his back from…shrapnel. Now he knew who tackled him. On the other hand, the mommas must have taught them all right; no one lost pants or shoes. He started a mental checklist on problems: no gear, freezing, wet, deaf, unconscious team member and separated from the rest of the group. The rest of the group…crap.

Decision time. Their options as he saw them were: wait for rescue, search for help, or try to return towards the Gate. There were also the bad guys who planted the booby trap to consider. They may be locals or even Wraith. Sitting here, though, was like painting a bull's eye on them. They were at a distinct disadvantage.

Ronon scanned the terrain. He grabbed Sheppard's sore shoulder and pointed up river. "Movement," he mouthed.

Sheppard stifled the groan, or he thought he did, and watched the direction Ronon pointed. The glint off metal reflected through the trees. They were still out of sight due to a bend in the river, but the chance for discovery increased the longer they stayed there. The reflecting metal looked like the same material a Wraith stunner was made out of. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

Decision made. Ronon grabbed Lorne and they made for the tree line. Hide, wait and run down river. This did not bode well for the others. Hell, it did not bode well for them. With a quick look over his shoulder, he hoped they were being as quiet as leaves falling because those men were getting closer.

Dense underbrush provided an adequate hiding place to await their fate.

The group stopped at their place on the bank and scanned the tree line. They aimed their weapons at the trees and started to disperse into the forested area.

Ronon and he exchanged glances. They were going to have to fight; the men were out flanking them. He did not recognize the style of dress and this could all be a big misunderstanding--_riiight._

_Howdy y'all, we're strangers in these parts. We were accidentally blown off that there mountain and into y'all's lovely river. Could y'all point us the way to the Stargate?_

_Why yes, we'd be glad to. First, go to where the river forks at the squirrel like creature…then stand real still and let us zap you and drag your sorry ass to our stronghold._

Sheppard shook his head. He must have hit it harder than he thought. However, he did not remember hitting it at all.

Ronon brought out his knife as Sheppard did the same; their respective guns long gone down river. Something diverted the bad guys' attention and everyone returned to the river bank. Then they ran back the way they came.

Unbelievable, luck like that just did not happen for his team.

They stayed put for a good quarter hour. He finally motioned for Ronon to take a look. Cautiously, Ronon moved out from their hiding place in the undergrowth. His eyes scanned for any movement while keeping low to the ground in a commando crawl. He walked back and shrugged.

It was nice to have luck on their side for once.

-----------------

Sheppard's yelling followed by a full body slam into the ground was the last thing she remembered. Elizabeth sat up on her elbows woozily. An arm draped over her abdomen stopped her, Cpl. Cavanaugh's arm to be exact. _Still mimicking outerwear_, she thought appreciatively. She gently moved the arm to his side and felt for a pulse while doing it. Thankfully, he had one.

Rodney was further up the road sprawled out like a child doing snow angels in the gravel. Teyla lay at her feet breathing if the rise and fall of her chest was any indication. She looked back down the road and her stomach tied itself in a knot. Where there had been five, there was only one. Elizabeth exhaled. She would deal with that in a minute. The ones closest to her, she would check first.

Cavanaugh was unconscious with no visible injuries, the same with Teyla. She finally crawled over to Rodney. He started to stir as she drew near him. His first reaction was to swat at her while saying something. His eyes popped open. They looked at one another for a good five count. She pointed to her ears and he shook his head. He pointed at her and she shook her head. An annoying ringing was all that registered with her brain and most likely his too. He started shaking.

_Oh Rodney, don't lose it yet. We have a few problems to work through first, and then you can have a good old-fashioned freak out._

She looked back at Teyla; it was her turn to regain her senses- most of them anyway. Elizabeth gave Rodney the job of checking on Cavanaugh. She hoped to high hell that would keep him busy and calm for a while. Teyla sat up and nodded that she was fine as Elizabeth approached. Then, the silence registered with her as well. She appeared to stoically accept the situation- for now.

Weir pointed back down the road to where the rest of the group had been. She and Teyla staggered towards the one remaining person. It was Pvt. Jones or so said his dog tags. Weir closed her eyes; usually, dog tags do not lie. They were the only reason she could even tell.

Four were missing. She inspected the blast area and realized nauseatingly that only three were actually missing. Another set of dog tags were imbedded in the cliff wall along with other bodily stuff. She really wanted to throw up.

Teyla stood further away near the river side of the road. She turned to Weir and pointed down. Now she was going to have a real battle not to just out right vomit. Weir stepped to the edge and looked down. Ronon's sword and gear were lodged in a fallen tree partially submerged in the water. She realized that instead of falling to their deaths, they had fallen into the river. That fact gave her hope they were still alive. The vomit receded a little.

Weir gave a half-smile to Teyla. All they had to do was return to Atlantis and bring help. She looked back at Rodney who was helping Cavanaugh to his feet. An unexpected blue shimmering light struck them both. They stiffened and dropped to the ground.

Teyla was still looking over the edge and did not see the blast. Weir grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her to the cliff's face. She proceeded to play a game of Charades to explain what happened, then thought better of it. She mouthed "Wraith" and pointed to the other two. Teyla got the gist immediately, but shook her head 'no'.

Small rocks and pebbles tumbled down the side of the cliff from feet loosening it up as someone walked overhead. They both looked around and came to the same conclusion. They had two choices: remain on the cliff face or jump into the river. They would have to leave Rodney and Cavanaugh either way.

The situation had gone from bad to worse.

They both noticed movement to their right on top of the cliff. A man stood up there with a Wraith stunner. He had a clear shot due to a turn in the road that jutted the cliff out. They turned back towards Rodney and Cavanaugh. Another man armed with a stunner stood next to the fallen pair.

They ran for the river.

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_A/N: OK, the counter's not working. So I can't feed my need of seeing if anyone is reading besides those reviewing. Fickle, so fickle is this sight sometimes. Please let me know, I must know!_


	3. Ch 2: Maybe It Wasn't So Funny

Chapter 2 

Maybe It Wasn't So Funny…

Ronon sat down next to their hiding place. When Lorne tackled Sheppard, he was surprised. He was contemplating doing the same thing. Contemplating? No, he was moving to do the same thing. The idiot was going towards a certain death.

Ending up in the water only added to his surprise. Seconds later, he saw Sheppard and Lorne surface and then they were gone just as quickly. Lorne resurfaced without Sheppard, so he took the man under his charge. They rode the rapids until the current pushed the pair to the river's edge. Next time he came across his team leader was on the bank of the river coughing and gagging. Something he had already done and helped Lorne to do.

From his position in the hiding spot, Sheppard sat up and squinted at Ronon's lower left leg. He pointed towards it. Ronon looked down. His pants leg was torn and blood seeped through it.

_By Kell's bloated corpse_, he swore to himself. The cold from the river must have masked it. He felt absolutely nothing. Yes, his pain threshold was uncommonly high, but it should have registered. He returned Sheppard's pointing with a _well go figure_ shrug.

He squinted and made his own observation. Where Sheppard had been pressed down in the leaves, was a smear of blood thinned out by the water dripping off of him. Now it was his turn to point and gesticulate.

Sheppard lifted his shirt and an angry, jagged gash stared back. Something either snagged him in the river or he snagged something while on the wild water ride.

Well, this just sucked on toast, to borrow a term from the Earthlings. Now what? They needed to move. The search party might come back. Waiting around was a bad idea. Also, their gear might have floated down river…

He pulled Lorne from the cover of the bushes and hefted him up once again. This could not be helping him at all. However, it did not matter; they could not stay. Sheppard nodded in agreement and with understanding. It was time for them to take a walk. The trio moved from the safety of the trees to follow the river. However, they kept close to the tree line in case they needed to take cover quickly.

After about an hour, Ronon's leg started to complain. He was not one to show distress easily, but it was certainly creating problems due to the added weight. He looked over his empty shoulder at Sheppard who was falling behind. His complexion had turned to ash and his eyes failed to maintain a sharp focus on his surroundings. While the man confessed laziness, he never demonstrated carelessness. This was no good.

He spotted a well hidden, overgrown area and placed Lorne down. He walked back to Sheppard and placed a firm hand on his chest. Glassy eyes stared back, recognition a little slow in coming. He blinked and Ronon pointed to where he stashed Lorne. Sheppard followed and sat down next to the major.

As their clothes dried, Ronon discovered how much the blood discolored Sheppard's shirt and pants. Quite a bit actually. The gash must have nicked a blood vessel that liked to bleed. He carefully lifted the Colonel's shirt. The wound was worse than it originally looked. If they had access to the infirmary, it was easily taken care of. Out here, any cut could be life threatening. Even his own.

This was definitely a bad thing.

They had nothing to bind wounds like these. And, they could not wait for rescue. Stymied, Ronon looked back at the river. He needed to think. His eyes fell on debris in the waves lapping up to the riverbank and that is when he spotted it, his beloved. His cherished weapon of choice glistened in the sun. Apparently, she washed up on shore and waited patiently for him to find her. He stood up and retrieved her. As he stood at the water's edge, another beautiful sight graced his vision. A backpack. It was snagged on a tree in the middle of the river.

_Ancestors be praised_. Only problem was wading out to get it. He was just getting dry, but the water would numb his leg again. That was a plus.

He returned his attention to the two men in the tree line. Sheppard checked Lorne. Apparently, he regained enough of his senses to focus on his teammate.

Ronon had noticed a few things about his team leader. He never asked anything that he was not willing to do himself, whether it was a mission or some grunt level duty. Second, he proffered the laid back persona, but he was all business. Ronon would follow the man into battle because he knew his stuff. He still had plenty to learn, but Sheppard seemed to enjoy the challenge. He was a student; he just did not take direction from superiors well. Everything was in his own way and own time. His Satedan hierarchy would have frowned with extreme prejudice on such behavior. Well, that was a moot point now. Really, how well had it served them anyway?

Ronon paused before returning to the pair. Funny thing is…not everyone under his command liked him, but they would follow him into battle as well. They might make an eye roll, but Sheppard never had to doubt whether his order was being followed. Ronon had already learned a good deal from these people's unique-- for the Pegasus Galaxy anyway-- views. It was a good decision to stay because they also had a lot to learn.

Sheppard looked up at him as he drew closer. He gestured about the leg. Ronon looked down at it. He shrugged. This inability to hear was unacceptable. Even the ringing was unacceptable and annoying. He pointed to the pack in the river.

Sheppard went to stand up, but Ronon placed a hand on his good shoulder. _I'll get it. You sit._ Or, so he hoped that's what he conveyed with his stern facial expression.

Sheppard answered by pointing to his eyes and then at Ronon's back._ I'll watch your back._

That, Ronon could live with. He nodded back and held out his hand. They walked to an easy ingress spot. Ronon started out. The river really lazed in this area, so wading was not a problem. He retrieved the pack and waded back from the center of the river. His leg still complained, but just not as loudly. The cold water did feel good on it.

Sheppard held out a hand and helped the big man the last few feet. He took the pack and together they trundled back to where Lorne rested oblivious to the world around him.

Sitting, the Colonel started taking inventory of the pack. The first aid kit was water tight, thank goodness. Ronon watched as Sheppard went about figuring what each of them would need. He threw Dex a large bandage, some antibiotic ointment and sterile wipes. He showed Ronon the Tylenol. Ronon graciously declined.

Sheppard made a- _well, aren't you something Mister 'I can have an operation on my back without even a local'_- face.

Ronon returned it with a- _you're a pansy if you need something for such a small scratch as that Mister Prissy Pants_- scowl.

They smiled politely at each other afterwards.

Ronon knew that was not a small scratch and neither was his. It was just fun to ruffle the man's feathers every once in a while. McKay was easier, but Sheppard took a little creativity. Nevertheless, the situation was far from funny. They needed help and Sheppard knew it too.

Ronon motioned for Sheppard to take care of his wound first then work on Lorne's. He nodded back and grabbed similar supplies he had given Ronon. With their needs taken care of, they went to work on Lorne's.

Sheppard was not even going to attempt to remove the shrapnel, just cover it. He also found an icepack, crushed it, and put it on the back of Lorne's head. The major did not even stir. They exchanged looks; it worried both of them.

Sheppard then dug out some Power Bars and tossed one to Ronon. He did not understand the dislike some of the expedition members had for the little treats. They were pretty darn good-- doughy, sweet and easy to chew. What more could you ask for?

The Colonel rested his head on his knees and slowly chewed one of the delectable little bars. Ronon looked at the nearly glassy, lazy river as he munched on his. It was quite peaceful if people were not chasing you down and trying to blow you up. The movement of the water mesmerized him until a reflection caught his attention. The conveyance to and from the Stargate was making its return run.

Sheppard dubbed it the Gate Express early in the mission. It was a long covered wagon pulled by four large, four legged, hoofed beasts of burden. McKay called them oxen on steroids except not as cute and cuddly. He looked up oxen on the Atlantis database and realized McKay had been using his razor sharp sarcasm. It was kind of funny.

He stood up and in true John Wayne fashion (Sheppard had recommended the movies) fired off two shots to get their attention. He looked back at Sheppard who had not even flinched. Ronon tapped him on the foot with his boot and pointed up when Sheppard looked at him. A smile crossed his face and he stood up.

The conveyance stopped and the driver looked down at the river bank. He waved. Ronon waved back. They had taken the transport a couple of times. Ronon usually sat with the driver and chatted with the man during the journey. The driver, Tram, had been making the run for five years. Basically, he was hopeful that the negotiations went well. It made for a safer trip.

The only reason they had not taken it this time was because the wagon was on its way back from the Ring. Waiting an extra three days just to take it was not an option. Although, McKay had tried to convince everyone not to make the three hour walk and to wait, but that had gone over as well as inviting a Wraith to dinner. With hindsight, it might have been a better idea than originally thought.

Ronon returned his attention to the driver who had started to yell down to them. _Crap_- to borrow again. Ronon made large gestures to his ears and large negative gestures. The man nodded back. He pointed down the river. The road descended closer to the water and the climb up was slightly easier.

Others exited the wagon with a length of rope. Sheppard grabbed the pack and Ronon slung Lorne over his shoulder. They both went down to the river's edge and waded in. The shock of the cold water put grimaces on their faces as they moved farther across the river. The bottom dropped off and they had to swim. Ronon was not sure how Sheppard did it with the pack and a torso injury. He waited for him to flounder; Sheppard never did.

They made it to the narrow bank on the other side and walked to where the rope dangled. At the end was a harness. They must have done this type of thing before. Without question, Lorne was first. Ronon shouted up that this man was unconscious and please be careful. Smiles and nods were directed down. They secured him into the harness and Ronon pulled on the rope to let them know they were ready. Ronon looked up at the driver. Tram looked out across the river to the other side with an angry scowl on his face.

Ronon turned around in time to see the scouting party taking aim at them.

-----------------

_Oh, this is so not good_. He would forever be the master of understatement. He had seen one too many of these cells not to recognize it immediately upon awakening.

He sat up with the pins and needles thing going full blast.

"Dr. McKay?"

_Oh, this is even better_- he was here with a snot nosed kid who had no idea what the Wraith…Hey, he could hear. _Yes!_

Wait, the Wraith did not shoot him. They were human. Oh great, now he had to deal with another set of humans trying to use Wraith technology. That had gone _so_ well the last time.

"Dr. McKay, am I suppose to feel this tingly?"

_Oh right, the pacifier sucking newbie._

"Cavanaugh is it? Yes, you're supposed to feel this tingly. We were shot by Wraith stunners, so get use to it."

"What is this place?"

"Could you ask any more insipid questions? This, my dear babe in the blue shaded, Wraith woods, is a Wraith cell. Now shut up and let me think." Think about what though? How they were going to die a horrible, horrible death or worse, live a horrible, horrible, pain filled, short life?

Now he realized that the rest of his team was not here- just the teat suckling, wet behind the ears, verdant green, Pegasus Galaxy toddler. _Oh no._ Sheppard and Ronon had been caught in the explosion and thrown off the cliff. Or, that is what he had surmised from where Weir and Teyla had been looking. _Another, oh no._ Elizabeth and Teyla, where were they?

He took a deep mind-clearing breath and let it out. Alright, he had handled situations like this. He was even successful. He devised and executed- bad choice of words- an escape plan. He could do this. To paraphrase the bard, piece of cake.

"Someone's coming Dr. McKay," young Cpl. Cavanaugh stated in trepidation.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. The cellmates exchanged worried looks and visibly gulped. Their captors stopped in front of the cell in all their leather clad glory. Goon one had spiky blond hair and a smirk. Goon two had bushy brown hair and a Neanderthal presence. The third was totally frightening.

They were insanely screwed--again.

His team's luck still held on to its bad little self.

----------------

Caldwell stood over Weir's desk wondering if he really could do a better job than her. She had led this city through: infiltration by hostile forces; siege by the devil himself in the form of stringy, haired death dealers; and contamination by a nano-virus. She had help, he understood that. She trusted some of these people more than he ever would have. Whether it was her mistake or his was more and more unclear.

He even felt they had a tentative truce because of the similarities of recent alien interventions. A shared experience sometimes tempered strained relationships. He was even beginning to understand why she kept Sheppard around. He was a whole lotta trouble on paper, but that translated well out here.

O'Neill liked him. He had only met the General in passing, but knew the man was a maverick in his own right. There was recognition of that trait in Sheppard which created an instant understanding between the two. Caldwell was usually a by the book kind of officer. He was starting to appreciate the other side of the coin out here in Pegasus.

The Stargate klaxon sounded. He thumped the desk with his hand and walked out into the Control Room stopping behind the technician. "Is it Col. Sheppard and Dr. Weir's team returning?" He placed his hands behind him while staring at the puddle. He gave a mental sigh. Alas, it was time to give them their city back.

"I'm not receiving an IDC. It's a radio signal." The Canadian's face scrunched up and he looked momentarily confused.

"Do you recognize the source?" Caldwell asked looking over the man's shoulder.

"Yes. It's…"

A familiar voice blared over the communication equipment in greeting. No wonder the guy was reluctant to believe his ears.

_"Hey howdy Atlantis! This is Ford and have I got some news for you!"_

----------------

_A/N: The author humbly apologizes for whining and carrying on like a three year old in the last chapter. She shall try and conduct herself with a little more decorum in the future. All she asks is that you send in your understanding of her breakdown in written form. Then please press the button. The bunnies and the author are going in search of Isaac the Bartender for a Margarita._


	4. Ch 3: Smile for the Birdie

Chapter 3 

Smile for the Birdie

Caldwell and the tech stared at each other for a good five seconds before he answered the voice broadcasting across the event horizon.

"Lt. Ford, this is Col. Caldwell. How can I help you?"

_"Who's this? Where're the Bosses?"_

"I'm Col. Steven Caldwell and I'm babysitting the fort while they tend to other business." Caldwell looked back at the tech who just stared at the Gate.

_"Oh yeah, I remember you- the Daedalus right? Well, cool. Glad they could get away, but now might not be the best time."_

"And, why is that Lieutenant?" Caldwell was getting impatient. He knew the kid was not packing a full duffle, but he was enjoying the back and forth a little too much. Ford was a rogue element and he did not like rogue elements.

_"Well colonel, the Wraith are looking for anyone associated with the expedition. Seems others are too, but that was only a matter of time. According to my little network, it looks like that's been resolved anyway. Good work there on Cowen and the coup on the Genii home world. Although, I thought Laden was a bit of a prick the last time I saw him."_

Caldwell held his exasperation and his shock at the lieutenant's information in check. "Could you elaborate?"

_"I picked up a few family snapshots off a little birdie. Before that, he was kind enough to do a little boasting."_

Caldwell now felt his adrenaline spike. Those snapshots were a bane to their existence. "Continue lieutenant."

_"Oh that's nice, sounds so official. 'Continue lieutenant.' Yeah, you see, I don't think I'm a lieutenant anymore. But, that's neither here nor there. Sooo anywho, my little Franken-birdie chirped rather boastfully in my ear before I removed his enzyme pouch."_

Caldwell cringed a little.

_"The sweet little chick-a-dee conveyed to me that they would find those that survived the destruction of the city. Then, he starts in on making them hood ornaments as they move to their new feeding grounds."_

"They make that statement all the time," replied Caldwell. A sound to his right grabbed his attention. Dr. Beckett came bounding up the stairs. Caldwell gave him an acknowledging nod.

_"Yeah, blah, blah, blah…our kind this…blah, blah…we will feast that…"_ He achieved a light tone in his voice. Caldwell could picture Ford's eyes rolling and flapping his hand like a mouth. His next statement was anything but light, _"He tells me, 'You are Atlantean; I can smell it.' I knew I left my deodorant there, but damn, that was uncalled for and down right insulting."_ He almost sounded like he was spitting at the mere mention of being associated with them in anyway.

Caldwell, the technician and Beckett exchanged questioning looks. "Ah, Ford?"

_"Now what was I saying? Oh yeah. After I removed the pouch, I found the pictures. Nice headshots. One of my men can read Wraith. Not only do they have pics of Sheppard, they have Weir's name and a description written on a few. Also, they want anyone specializing in anything "very scientific". I swear they're acting like the King of Siam. "Very scientific", sound like anyone else whose picture's circulating?"_

Now, Ford had Caldwell's full attention. He was not going to give away any surprise, so he nonchalantly answered, "I'm impressed with your intel Ford. But, this isn't really a revelation. However, we'll be more careful on off-world missions. Is this story leading anywhere?" Caldwell eyed Beckett. He looked upset, as if his failure was being thrown back at him.

_"Oh, I have so much more…As I was saying about his hood ornament comment, one hive may have something big planned. I don't think it's more than one though."_ There was a pause as a muffled voice spoke in the background. _"Well, looks like I need to wrap this up…when I say big, I mean reaching Earth big. I'll contact you again. Most likely 24 to 36 hours from now. Good chatting with ya Colonel, talk with ya on the flip side!"_

The line went dead as the blue pool disappeared.

"Did that daft lad say, _'reaching Earth big'_?" Beckett asked a silent Gate Room.

----------------

She opened her eyes. _Dr. Elizabeth Weir, negotiator, leader and professional hostage,_ she thought to herself._ On the other hand, maybe, I'm a professional prisoner._ Sheppard would have to let her into the pins and needles club now. It was less than exciting.

Obviously, she had not made it to the river. She rolled over and almost into Teyla who, obviously, had made it to the river by her drowned rat appearance. Although, just as obvious, it did little good. She was stunned, retrieved and lay next to Elizabeth on the floor.

Elizabeth felt for a pulse and got it. She rolled back onto her spine and took in her surroundings. From every description of a Wraith ship she had read, this must be a holding cell. It was very vein-like, spider-webbed and chilling.

Now was not the time to panic. Not yet.

She studied the accommodations and just did not like any outcome other than escape. _No, don't panic now either._

What did she know? Teyla was here. Rodney and Cavanaugh might be here too. Sheppard, Lorne, and Dex were…Well, she could only keep positive thoughts about that. They were on a Wraith ship or in a Wraith facility. Atlantis would know something was up because they had radioed that they were on their way home. Humans stunned them. Stood to reason, humans were running the show.

Now was this a purposeful attack or mere coincidence?

The echo of footsteps rang down the hall and made her sit up. Then she began to notice smaller sounds like Teyla's breathing, the thrum of machinery, her own breathing, and her heart hammering away in her chest. Another asset- her hearing had returned.

She tried to wake Teyla, but nothing resembling consciousness was forthcoming. _Splendid_. She sat there contemplating any options she had at that particular moment. They also were not forthcoming until human guards pushed a familiar face in front of her cell door. Still, the options remained unpleasant.

"Rodney?"

"Hello Elizabeth. Fancy meeting you here. Nice digs, spacious…" The guard behind him thumped him in the head with his hand held stunner- hard. The last face to appear in the doorway made her stomach knot. Collaboration. She was wrong in her first assessment. The Wraith were running the show. The humans were in league with them. Steve and Bob's kissin' cousin stood next to Rodney.

He hissed for her to exit. The pistol whipper motioned her with a Neanderthal grunt.

"Charming," sniped Rodney watching her all the way.

Weir cast one last look at Teyla, stood up and exited the cell.

-------------------

Weir and McKay walked side by side.

"Any idea where or what?" she whispered.

"No." The guard thumped him again. "Ow!" McKay glared as he rubbed the knots on his head.

"Shut that mouth. You talk too much." The guard thwacked him again for good measure on the side of the head where is hand was not.

"Ouch!" Rodney yelled as he rubbed the side of his head. "Asshole," he muttered because now he really missed Ronon and Sheppard.

They passed cells. They passed cocooned humans. They passed labs. They passed desiccated corpses. They walked down hallways, up corridors, and through large rooms until they reach another large room with a slightly raised pedestal. Their escorts motioned them to stand on the circular stump. A bright light illuminated them chasing away the dankness and the gloom.

Their human guards and the male Wraith retreated to the walls in the cavernous room. Elizabeth and Rodney turned in a circle studying the area. It was dark and inhabited by a Wraith Queen that materialized in an uncomfortable proximity to the pair. Her grin made it even more uncomfortable. In unison, they took a reflexive step back only to bump into two masked drones standing silently behind them.

Now they were trapped in a lair. Small delectable flies invited in by the spider. That never went well for the fly. What was wrong with him? He was comparing himself with a disease ridden flying insect that ate just about anything.

"Acceptable." The Queen startled him. Her voice carried throughout the room. She looked at the escorts by the wall. "You have done well."

Elizabeth straightened herself to full height. "I'm Dr. Eli…" she started with an air of confidence that she could not be feeling.

"I don't care. Names are irrelevant. You are nothing more…" She tilted her head to the side and studied their clothes. A skeletal grin of delight formed on her face. "You _are_ from the former Lantean city. You _are_ those that have the secret to the vast feeding grounds. I have been looking for you."

She leaned in and sniffed next to Elizabeth's shoulder. Her yellow eyes widened and she bared her fangs in excitement. "_He_ was with you. The murderer, the savior. Stories are told of his defiance and of his actions." It was hard to tell, but her eyes glazed over, lost in the moment. "A taste such as that must be savored. The boldness, the brashness- I could make it last."

"What?" Rodney croaked. He wanted to run. Bolt. Scamper. Be anywhere but here.

Elizabeth's mouth hung slightly open. She looked sick because he knew as well as she that the Queen meant Sheppard. They met a fan or connoisseur, really did not matter. From what Teyla reported, they did not want them to have him. It was not as if their experience was going to be giggles and tea. He was sure it was going to involve quite a bit of screaming and shrieking in terror and pain. For Sheppard, it would be so much more.

"Make sure everyone knows who to look for. He's on the planet. Fate's delivered them to us, now it's time for all the pieces of the plan to fit together. We'll be feasting on Earth in mere weeks."

Rodney's eyes bugged out. "Weeks?" With his verbal skills in peak form, he continued, "How…unless you have an intergalactic hyper…drive?" His eyes bugged even more at the fierce smile that answered him.

Weir and McKay faced each other. A sickly shade of green reflected between the two.

The Queen held up a slip of paper. "You are also important." She looked directly at Rodney. Now, he was sure the green in Elizabeth's face must have been enhanced by the green in his. "An animal who knows a few tricks. The nets were plentiful this catch."

She turned his picture around for Elizabeth and him to see.

"It doesn't do you or him justice I assume." She turned another picture around with Sheppard's image. "I must make sure I don't lose you."

"What does that mean?" squeaked Rodney.

Her answer was another hideous smile and a single word.

"Perfection," she hissed to the entire room.

----------------

"Perfect," Sheppard hissed under his breath.

Ronon gave him a quick look. Sheppard ran his finger across his throat and covered Lorne with his body. Ronon dropped to the wet sand of the riverbank and started firing. In less than three minutes, no one stood on the other side. They looked up at the people on the road. One rifle barrel smoked as well. Tram stood there with a scowl on his face and handed the gun to someone else. It was good to have friends in high places.

Ascending the twelve foot cliff became a priority again. Lorne went up with only a few bumps added to his list. Ronon insisted Sheppard go next. Sheppard fitted the harness around him. It felt great. His shoulder and torso sang with praise for the idea. They wanted him to scream for joy at the fun they were having. He tried to use his legs as much as possible to keep pressure off his more tender areas. _Yeah, right, that was so not happening._

When he finally reached the top, arms pulled him to the road and guided him to the wagon. Swatting at a woman to leave him alone, he leaned against the side. A quick peek inside the wagon showed him an insensible Lorne. Momentarily satisfied, he watched and waited until the dreadlocks pushed gravel and dirt away from the edge of the road.

As soon as Ronon was topside, their eyes met. A quick nod and Sheppard collapsed into insensibility himself.

----------------

When Ronon reached the road, he too collapsed. Consciousness remained, however. For the first time, he would be riding inside the wagon. Since he was taller than the average man, it was uncomfortable to sit inside the conveyance. This time, however, he would not mind. He watched them lift Sheppard up off the road and place him inside.

Everybody smiled. Some helped. Some tried to talk to him. Once they understood that his hearing was missing, pats on the shoulder or thigh replaced the unheard words. An older woman and her young companion- her granddaughter he guessed- looked after Lorne and Sheppard. A young man helped Ronon to one of the doors. He looked inside; benches lined the sides and ends of the wagon. Two exits interrupted the benches on each side. Small square windows lined the sides and one was at the back. The cover of the wagon was constructed of wood and was shaped into a dome with railings. Since Sheppard had shown him the John Wayne westerns during one of their down periods, he recognized this thing as a cross between a stagecoach and a covered wagon.

Tram brought a rudimentary first aid kit and gave it to the old woman. His presence elicited another pat on the shoulder for Ronon. He had to smile. These Earthlings, and him by association, either had life long friends or life long enemies. These people were friends. Tram's response never wavered- no qualms about helping them.

Ronon looked back at Tram; the other man frowned. The pat had more meaning than support. He held up two pairs of dog tags and showed Ronon the top of the wagon. Ronon stood up as Tram climbed up. Strapped to one of the railings was a body. He pulled a blanket back to reveal Pvt. Jones' mutilated face.

Ronon bowed his head for a moment. He lifted it up and held out his hand for the two sets of tags. Tram handed him Jones' tags and then mouthed, "Nothing left," when he handed him the other set. Ronon nodded his head in understanding.

"Any others?" Ronon asked a little too loudly.

Tram squinted and pulled his head back.

"Sorry," Ronon hoped he whispered and waited for the answer.

Tram shook his head, "No one else."

Ronon turned around, looked at the river, and at the bodies on the otherside. His assessment of the situation had not changed. This was bad. There was no sign of the others. They would not have just left Jones and the tags behind. The bad guys had Dr. Weir, McKay, Teyla and Cavanaugh. He turned back around and bent over to look into the wagon. Sheppard and Lorne slept oblivious to the world.

They had been laughing, eating and enjoying the Yarbenians hospitality just a few hours ago. Now he was only bringing back part of the team, a corpse, an ownerless set of dog tags and bad news.

This trip was a prime opportunity to grab the leaders of Atlantis. Sheppard had stated misgivings about having Lorne, Weir and himself on the mission. She counter pointed that they had all been off world together before. It was a show of commitment to attend the final meeting. Anyway, Caldwell was back in Atlantis so she figured it was worth the risk.

Ronon was sure this tactic would be rethought in the future.

Tram helped him inside and Ronon took a seat on the floor. There was plenty of room on this trip. The wagon held up to sixteen on the benches. This trip there was only six passengers excluding the Atlanteans. He sat at the end farthest from the driver and stretched out his legs. Sheppard and Lorne lay side by side at the drivers end.

A young man handed Ronon a cup of water. He accepted it gratefully. The women continued to look after the other two with the limited supplies available. Ronon showed them the bag and the kit in there. They redressed both of the soldiers' wounds and used some extra blankets to cover them up. Ronon even accepted one since he was still cold from the river. He closed his eyes for a second.

Maybe a Puddle Jumper could exit the Ring safely. Sheppard decided against using one due to the surrounding cliffs. The Great Ring sat in a canyon and less than 150 yards away from it was a sheer rock face. The craft would have to exit and go directly into a climb. Since transportation was available and Jumpers did not grow on trees, the safety issue dictated exploration on foot. Although, Sheppard said it would be a blast to attempt with or without the G-forces.

They had to know by now. Atlantis would forego the safety issue since Dr. Weir was in trouble. Moreover, if Atlantis sent foot traffic first, the blast area was hard to miss even if no one or nothing remained. The signs were surely visible to even the unpracticed eye.

The area was only 45 minutes from the Gate. They really did have to know by now.

The wagon lurched and started its journey back to Yarben- the town where they held all the negotiations. If rescue was underway, if they used the Jumper, and if no communication was available with anyone on the team, the small town would be the first place they search.

The sway of the wagon, the silence, and the gentle reassurances of the passengers lulled Ronon to sleep. His fatigued settled on him like his heavy, warm blanket and he lost the fight to continue his duty as protector of his teammates. A hand guided him to the floor and then gently patted his shoulder as he relaxed.

----------------

_A/N: This story is like the underwear gnomes. Step 1. Steal underwear. Step 2. -- Step 3. Profit. It's the middle that is just bashing the bunnies in their fuzzy little tales. The fact that I can't see the counter... All of you who write know what I'm talking about. It's like Linus' blue, security blankey. Fix the damn counter already! That was more complaining and venting by the author. She apologizes profusely._

_Thanks for all the support and feedback and offers of pitchers of yummy, frozen concoctions. Donning the flip flops and raising a mug to you all. If you feel the need to vent or ask questions or leave more glorious feedback, press the button._


	5. Ch 4: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way

Chapter 4 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Jumper…

Carson Beckett- doctor, geneticist, space explorer and hurler of lunch- sat in the Puddle Jumper with his eyes clenched shut. He white knuckled the armrests of the seats and said a Hail Mary. Upon exiting the puddle- when his eyes were still open- a solid wall of rock blocked their way. He closed his peepers decisively. He was very happy to be the passenger instead of the pilot on this trip. After that ninety degree trajectory, inertial dampeners and closed eyes were not enough to prevent his lunch from trying to make an appearance.

Even with the therapy, there were only a handful of true Jumper pilots on Atlantis or on the Daedalus, which is where his pilot was from. Beckett concluded, correctly, he was a driver not a flyer. After that maneuver, the difference was as glaringly obvious as the difference between an American beer and an English stout. He would stick to the doctoring and convince the others that he should only stick to the doctoring as well.

"You can open your eyes now Dr. Beckett," said his pilot with a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Are ya sure there?" He kept his eyes tightly shut.

"We're above the cliffs. Today Doc, we aren't the bug on the windshield or the beer can on the forehead."

Beckett allowed one eye to look out the windshield and then the other. He let out the deep breath he had been holding since the solid, granite surface loomed back at them.

"Doc, why don't we try and contact the team again?"

Beckett nodded. Col. Sheppard and Dr. Weir's group was now two and a half hours overdue. He listened as the pilot tried the radios. Being on the planet did not change the static coming across the airwaves.

He looked back at the other two passengers- a field medic and a sergeant for protection. The Jumper and the personnel on it were only part of the search team. Soon after Caldwell's conversation with Ford, the colonel tried Dr. Weir's team on the planet. When no response came, he sent a search team. They radioed back the grave news of an ambush site with nary a sign of a living soul. After the report, one set of reinforcements was sent to guard the Gate and two other teams were searching the road and the river.

With eight members of the team missing and one gruesomely discovered near the blast site, tension was high. Unfortunately, identification of the one would have to be from a test tube- best not to think about who it could be right now. Others needed his help or so he prayed.

At Caldwell's command, he packed a kit together and met the rest in the hangar bay. After brief introductions, they loaded everything and prepared for departure. They warned him that exiting the Stargate was going to be interesting. Interesting his left nu...foot. Suicidal was more like it.

He looked back out the windshield and scanned the terrain. Why, he did not know. It was not as if he could spot anything at the speed they were traveling.

"We'll be setting down in a field just outside of town. Then, we'll make our way to the town square. Let's hope someone knows something." The pilot began angling the craft towards an empty area about a mile from Yarben.

Beckett could not remember the pilot's name. He thought it might be Warren, but was not real sure. Hopefully, someone would say it so he could at least address the man properly. He hated to think he needed to ask. Introductions had already been given.

The Jumper remained cloaked as they left the craft and started on the main road. The locals must have been waiting. They met the team at the outskirts of town.

"Are you from Dr. Weir's people?" A man with black hair and an honest smile asked.

Warren, he would go with Warren until he knew better, answered, "Yes. We were getting worried and came to find her and the rest of our people. Is she alright?"

The man pursed his lips, "I'm sorry to say, I don't know." He slowed down and turned to walk back to the village with them. A small, sad smile played on his face. "Maybe Col. Sheppard or Mr. Dex can answer your questions."

Warren tensed at the news of Weir and relaxed slightly with the mention of Sheppard.

"What about the others?" Carson squeaked as they continued to follow the man.

"Col. Sheppard, Mr. Dex and Maj. Lorne are the only ones who arrived by the wagon. Tram, the driver, said he found them about an hour away by conveyance." Warren and Beckett nodded in reply. "My name is Narmit, assistant to the Counselor. I worked with Dr. Weir during the negotiations. I really respect her abilities and am sorry this has happened."

Beckett listened attentively and politely, but he was itching to ask about the health of the three men. Warren asked another question before he could ask his.

"I'm Major Harold Warren. Pleasantries aside, what exactly happened?"

Beckett gave a small sigh of relief. One question answered.

"From what Mr. Dex and Col. Sheppard related, they were attacked on the road to the Great Ring by humans using Wraith weapons. I assure you gentlemen; our community had nothing to do with it."

Warren hitched his eyebrows at the statement. Whether it was in disbelief or not, Beckett did not know. Personally, right now, he did not care. Patients needed him and he decided to interrupt.

"Where're our people?"

Narmit gestured towards a large wooden building, "They arrived in town a few ticks of the sundial before we saw you coming up the road. We took them immediately to the hospital. Our menders are looking after them."

"I need to see them immediately," said Carson as forcefully as possible without sounding like he was commanding. There was not a need for that- yet.

"Of course…" Narmit looked inquiringly at him.

"Dr. Beckett."

"As you wish Dr. Beckett, let's not waste anymore time."

----------------

"Ronon, Ronon, it's time to wake up lad."

He knew that voice. It was a sound for sore ears. Even though the voice sounded like it was coming through water and his ears hurt, they seemed to finally work.

Ronon cracked an eye open and grinned. "I can hear you Beckett."

Beckett looked perplexed for a second and then nodded.

"Lost our hearing after an explosion, it's back now." Ronon looked around. "How's Lorne?"

"He has a nasty concussion and his back looks like hamburger, but he woke up for a few seconds."

Ronon tried to sit up.

"No, just lay back and let me have a look at that leg, lad." He felt and heard Beckett rip the pants leg. Then the doctor did something extremely painful to it. He grabbed it.

"Sheppard?" Ronon tried not to sound too strained as he asked about his team leader.

"Exhausted, cranky, and worried. He asked the same questions as you." Beckett looked up at him before talking again. "Are you up to briefing Maj. Warren?"

"Can it wait until…" Ronon flinched again as Beckett tried to rip the skin off the remnants of his shin. "…you're done?" His voice went up an octave at the all encompassing pain.

Beckett gave a small laugh, "Of course, laddie."

Thirty minutes later Ronon relayed the events on the roadway.

"Damn it. We received a message from Lt. Ford about three hours ago warning us of something like this." Warren took off his cap and ran his hand through his light brown hair.

"Do you think he had anything to do with this?" Ronon asked growing angry. He nearly growled out the question. Ford was a nuisance and traitor to his people. Sheppard still held onto a miniscule amount of hope the lieutenant would come home. As more time passed, even Sheppard knew that was becoming more unlikely.

"We don't know. He's supposed to call back tomorrow. A Wraith Hive is supposed to be planning something big. Ford was going to let us in on what he knows." The major's gaze shifted to Beckett. "I'll bring the Jumper in closer, over there." He pointed out the window to an open area outside of town. "It's time to get them home Doc."

Beckett nodded in agreement. "Col. Sheppard and Ronon can walk, but we need to carry Maj. Lorne."

"Understood sir." The major left and the other two with the help of a few locals readied Sheppard, Dex and Lorne.

Beckett said thank you and waited for the signal from Warren. When it came, the medic and other soldier lifted the stretcher and started towards the Jumper.

Groggy, but awake, Sheppard looked at Ronon. "Go with them. Beckett and I'll be along directly." He gave an intoxicated smirk as Beckett made sure all bandages were firmly in place and his arm securely immobilized.

Ronon did not move.

"We're right behind you. Go and get off that leg."

Ronon's eyes narrowed, but he complied. Reluctantly, he trailed after the litter. Beckett gave him some nice drugs so the leg was quietly aching. He stepped out into the sunshine and looked around. A crowd had gathered to stare at the Puddle Jumper. This was another planet that had never seen a friendly aircraft. In the crowd, he spotted the young man who had given him water in the wagon.

The young man waved to Ronon and yelled, "Looks like you're finally going home!" Ronon gave him a smile and a nod for an answer just before entering the back of the Jumper.

True to his word, Sheppard hobbled along the road with Carson to where the Jumper was parked. Ronon was not sure what sense he used, but something struck him as odd. Maybe the drugs slowed his reaction or the relief at the sight of the Jumper cooled his highly honed paranoia, but he missed something. He knew it the second he entered the craft.

His mind shifted through images of his traipse from the hospital. It settled on one little incongruity. The shirt the water boy was wearing did not lay right. _Damn my softness._

The young man's voice calling Sheppard by name added to his unease. Ronon reversed himself and skipped out of the Jumper as fast as his leg would allow. Cleanly, he pulled his weapon looking for a target. The events of the next seven seconds ordered themselves in his increasingly blurry vision.

First, he saw Sheppard trying vainly to push Beckett away from him. The water boy approached the pair from the crowd to Ronon's right. Members of the crowd filled in the area between the hospital and the Jumper to block his view, but Sheppard's actions told him all he needed to know about the young man's intentions.

Second, he saw Beckett clutching Sheppard's arm and looking with terror in the opposite direction. He pulled on Sheppard just as hard as Sheppard pushed. No ground gained by either side. It would have been comical if the situation was not what it was.

_I'm slow, too damn slow._

Third, the young man shot Beckett and Sheppard point blank with a hand-held stunner. The delayed internal alarms blared with the movement of the kid's arm. At the same time, Warren shouted an unwelcome warning behind him.

"Incoming!"

The fourth and final sight made Ronon roar and fire his beloved at the conniving, little speck of filth regardless of who was in the way. It missed as the dart scooped up all three along with a few hapless townspeople.

Too little, too late. Ronon roared even louder at the now empty sky.

He spun back towards the Jumper moving as fast as possible. Screaming from the crowd and the major ordering those near the Gate to memorize the address or face a fate worse than death bombarded his newly functioning ears.

"Go! Go! Go!" Ronon yelled once he was safely inside.

Perfect and complete failure. Now, he had lost the two men he owed for this new life.

----------------

If it was possible, the halls appeared even more sinister.

"What did she mean, doesn't want to lose us?" Rodney openly if not nervously wondered.

"Keep track of us somehow?" Elizabeth openly if not nervously wondered.

They both stopped.

"Oh no, no, no, no. They're not sticking any device in me!" Rodney shouted. He spun around to try and fight his way past the two huge, massive, monolithic guards. Neanderthal stunned him without batting an eye.

A second later, even before reacting to their common revelation, Elizabeth felt her nervous system overload as her consciousness fled for its life.

Teyla's worried face was the next sight before her eyes.

"Dr. Weir, it is good to see you awake." The worry in her tone did not leave as Teyla spoke of her relief.

A dull ache formed between Elizabeth's shoulder blade and spine. The pins and needles feeling tingled full force masking the rest of the ache. The mask fell away when she tried to sit up. A sharp pain formed and she grimaced while inhaling quickly through her teeth.

"A tracking device, they put a tracking device in me…us," she corrected through her clenched teeth. Her hand went in search of the spot. Teyla grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"It is there." She looked sorrowful now and took off her jacket. She handed it to Elizabeth.

Then and only then, did Elizabeth realize she was just in her sports bra with uniform pants and shoes. She accepted the jacket.

"And, Dr. McKay has one too," added Teyla.

"Where's Rodney?" Weir asked as she slipped her arms into the jacket sleeves.

"In a cell two doors down. Cpl. Cavanaugh and I have been communicating." She steadied Elizabeth in a seated position before continuing. "There is more. Dr. Beckett was brought in a short while ago. He is, at the moment, unconscious in the same cell as Dr. McKay and Cpl. Cavanaugh."

Now, it was time to panic.

"But, Carson wasn't with us on the planet. They must've sent a rescue." She organized her thoughts out loud. "Why only him or are there others?"

On cue, Cavanaugh's voice drifted down the hall in a loud whisper, "Teyla! Dr. McKay and Dr. Beckett are waking up."

A second cue raced down the hall, a loud and pain filled howl. Elizabeth and Teyla exchanged looks. They recognized that voice…

------------------

The owner of that howl categorized this as one of the top ten worst days he had ever had. Whatever topped this, he did not want to find out about. The bastards waited for him to wake up before they started digging to China. And, seeing as China was in another galaxy and a loooong way off, it felt none too good.

The nice meds Carson gave him on the planet did not thwart the pain of Count Chocula slicing into his back with a dull cereal spoon. Now, the bastard was moving onto the quilting bee and closing up his handiwork. Thus, his fourth day of crying in his adult life commenced. No shame in that now is there?

His side injury burned and his shoulder was positioned at an odd angle. He did not know whether to pass out or throw up. He was wishing for the former and guessing on doing the latter.

He did not have long to dwell on his choices before a large cold hand landed on the back of his neck to pull him off the table. The cold hand's companion grabbed his right arm and pulled. It popped.

_Decision made- throwing up it is._

His legs threw up the white flag and the drone-- which shall now be referred to as Jason-- dragged him down a hall by that same newly re-dislocated arm and shoulder.

_When do I pass out? Please let me pass out,_ he thought as he twisted behind Jason.

Was he not thinking earlier that luck was on his side for once? Lady Luck apparently did not have a thing for him or was she just playing hard to get? He would have to let Rodney in on this little query.

Dropped into a cell, he finally threw up. Finishing, he cleared his mouth and ground his forehead into the floor. Then, he flipped gently over onto his back keeping his eyes closed.

_Back to the other question-- when do I pass out? I'm so due._

"John?" The easily identifiable voice seemed so far away. It asked a ridiculous question. "John, are you alright?"

Sheppard replied as facetiously as possible with a throat that was doubly raw, "No, Elizabeth. It's been a bitch of a day."

-----------------

_A/N: Oh fortuna! The counter's working. Now all is right with the world. Express your joy at this development, clink glasses of cool, tropical beverages and leave a note. The bunnies are in search of_ _Gopher. I tried telling them he's not a real gopher. They just won't listen._

_You all so rock!_


	6. Ch 5: Not Particularly Funny Either

_A/N: Apologies for the long delay. But this chapter and Spring Break are not cooperating. The chapter mocked me, laughed behind my back with the bunnies, and generally did not want to make any sense what so ever. Enjoy!_

Chapter 5

Not Particularly Funny Either…

Caldwell pursed his lips so hard the creases turned white. "Recall all teams immediately," he tersely ordered the Canadian technician. "I'll be heading to the infirmary."

Without waiting for an acknowledgement, he walked briskly from the Control Room.

The Jumper returned and reported the events of P51-868. Things like this made it clear that this job was more than it seemed on paper. Now he knew Weir could have it all to herself upon her return. Now he knew Sheppard could be Santa's little helper upon his return. Now he knew captaining the Daedalus was just fine by him.

Who was he kidding? He loved this. Even though the circumstances were less than desirable, the challenge and the chance to prove he could do this job were satisfying. He would not take it away from them, not like he could. Weir was the best choice for civilian leader. Her pluck and backbone were definite requirements for this job. She could match wits and stand toe to toe with any leader on Earth or here.

This time around he would play it cool and easy. Dare he say it? Yes he would…like Sunday morning. He would not play the part of usurper. He came across as too eager last time. This time, _you can trust me_, was his motto. _I'm here to help._ And, that was the God's honest truth- he was.

Reaching the infirmary ahead of the Jumper team, he waited a short while before they were wheeled into the facility. Ronon made eye contact immediately. Caldwell had to hand it to him. Ronon never shrank from a situation, even one where he had bad news to report or an unpopular opinion to give. At such a young age, Ronon had already discovered life was too short. War had that effect on the people.

Maj. Warren stepped up to stand beside the officer to give his report. "We have the coordinates. The order, however, may not be right. I sent Gustafson to the Control Room to start configuring the sequence."

"Very good major. What the hell happened?" Caldwell had pieces. He had the back story on the ambush. What he did not have was how the hell a Wraith dart plucks their people with such precision.

"A spy," Ronon sneered from his gurney. "A shrewd little spy and I missed him."

Caldwell stepped over to the bed. Ronon met his gaze with all the self-recriminations he could muster. "One of the passengers on the wagon." He opened and closed his fists rhythmically and unconsciously. "He must've been sent to find us or keep tabs on us just in case the wagon found us."

"They must have had a dart standing by," added Warren. "Nothing came through the Gate since we secured it. It did not show up on my sensors until it was almost on top of us. My men didn't even have a chance to shoot when it made its pass. Drones would have decimated it and rained the debris all over the townspeople. They caught us with our pants down."

Ronon's anger flared and he hit a tray holding instruments next to his bed. The metal clattering on the floor was oddly and gratingly fitting. He huffed, collected himself and looked back at Caldwell.

"Before I forget…" Ronon shoved his hand into a pocket in his pants. He withdrew it closed tightly only to open it as slowly and reverently as possible. Two sets of dog tags rested on his palm.

"Jones came home on the Jumper. The wagon master retrieved him. Taylor was the one left at the site."

Their eyes never left one another until Caldwell spoke. "We had a detail take care of Pvt. Jones. Thank you for these." He accepted the little wafers of metal. Just like before, he pursed his lips so tightly they went white.

"Quarterback always gets the girl." The non-sequitor wafted across the infirmary. Caldwell and Ronon looked over to Lorne's bed with a quartet of eyebrows raised. "I'm gonna ask Tricia to the Prom. Dad's gonna let me borrow the Buick."

A nurse returned their looks with a little smile. "It's the concussion, sirs."

They nodded in understanding.

The nurse patted Lorne on the shoulder. "Evan…"

He forcefully grabbed her by the arm and raised himself up part way. "Couldn't let him tackle Taylor. Team needs him." His face held the earnest conviction of a job done right. He let her go and lay back down. "Had to protect the quarterback."

Lorne continued to mumble about corsages, tuxes and how big the backseat of the Buick was.

Caldwell and Ronon's lips turned white.

He held the tags so tightly the metal bit into his hands. "I'll let them get you squared away Ronon; we can talk later."

The tension in every muscle on Ronon's body rippled as he gave a single head jerk towards the colonel. With that, Caldwell left.

He confidently strode down the corridor away from the infirmary. The waiting was the hardest part-- waiting for Ford; waiting for the address; waiting for what was left of Weir's team to recover. Patience was a virtue you needed when in command. He still hated waiting.

He activated his ear piece. "Control Room, report."

_"Sir, we believe we have the correct sequence and Dr. Zelenka has a suggestion about a MALP."_

"What kind of suggestion?" His curiosity was definitely peaked.

_"Well, I'll let him try to explain it."_

_"Col. Caldwell,"_ greeted the slightly accented voice of Zelenka._ "As you know, I had Dr. Novak go to Radio Shack last time she was home."_

Caldwell silently snickered. He did know. He had even helped to carry the bags aboard the Daedalus. He had to fight off a few able body Marines from opening the boxes and playing with what was inside.

_"I've built smaller version, one that's not so bulky."_ Caldwell could hear the pride shining through the connection._ "I patterned it on a Mars Rover."_

Zelenka had him intrigued. "I'm almost there." He stopped in front of the transporter and waited for the doors to open. Once he exited in Control, Zelenka scurried up to him.

"This is my little answer to the expensive and dwindling MALPs." Zelenka pointed to a suped-up Hum-V R/C without the chassis on the Gate room floor. There were a few modifications.

It was one and a half meters long and one meter in height. It looked a lot like the Mars Rovers only boxier. A giraffe type neck craned up to extend the height to almost two and a half meters. On top of the neck were a camera and a communications array. Also like the Rovers, it moved around on six wheels. It was quicker and more maneuverable than the gargantuan and sluggish MALP.

"I'm still fitting arms for field work. But, for what we need right now, I don't think they're necessary." He made his little pet do turns and go forwards backwards just to demonstrate.

"Are those flames on the side?" Caldwell asked impressed with the vehicle and amused at the non-militaristic addition.

Radek gave a mischievous and apologetic grin to his feet. "Makes it run better."

"Sure Doc," Caldwell said with a smile before returning to business. "Is it ready to be field tested?"

"As it's going to be." Zelenka looked confident and moved the vehicle in front of the Stargate.

"No time like the present Doctor. Dial it up," ordered Caldwell.

Weir's trust in her people was well placed. One lesson learned.

The Mars MALP entered the puddle and everyone waited for the telemetry.

"Spectacular," whispered Zelenka. "All systems are operating within specified parameters. That is to say, it's doing great!" Zelenka grinned and looked at Caldwell and everyone else in the area in succession. He reigned in his enthusiasm to get down to work of finding the Wraith and their missing team.

----------------

"Dr. Beckett!" Teyla called down the silent corridor. "Col. Sheppard is conscious, but his shoulder is injured. His side is also very…" She tried to figure out how to say gross without causing undo panic. "…weepy."

Teyla looked back at Dr. Weir squatting on the floor next to her second in command. His head rolled around as she asked a few questions.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" The head rolled again in reply.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" There was a whispered response. Weirs shoulders shook for a moment. "No, the answer is not Thursday, smart ass. Should I put up only one?"

"Besides the tracking device, it does not appear Col. Sheppard has sustained anymore injuries." Teyla relayed with a small smile. She craned her neck so she could hear the voice coming down the hall.

"Teyla, darlin', have you ever performed a reduction?"

"A what?"

"Put an arm back in the socket?"

"Oh. No, but I have watched some of my people perform such a task." Weir and she looked at one another at a loss of what to even do if Beckett asked.

"Never you mind. Try to immobilize it the best ya can. What do you have available?"

Teyla's eyes fell on her jacket. The one Dr. Weir was wearing and already taking off.

"Yes Carson, we have a jacket," replied Elizabeth. She gave Teyla a reassuring smile. "Looks like my modesty gets a work out today."

They followed Carson's directions and secured the jacket to Sheppard.

"Just keep an eye on that cut." Beckett called out.

"That's it! Nothing else? Keep an eye on it? Use a jacket?" Rodney stepped up into Beckett's face.

Looking unimpressed, Beckett retorted, "Yes Rodney, neither one of them has done anything like that before. They could do more harm than good. He has a good radial pulse. So, for right now, we leave it."

Rodney backed down and started pacing.

"They tagged me like a water buffalo Carson. Same for Elizabeth and Col. Sheppard. I'm just a little on edge. Told you we should've waited for the stagecoach. A ride with Wishbone would've been better than land mines. Would waiting three more days really've mattered?"

Beckett looked at the other occupant of the cell. Cavanaugh had his head on his knees. Hoping that Rodney's pessimism and despair did not transfer to the young man, Beckett lowered his voice.

"Rodney…" He should have realized it would have the opposite effect.

"Oh, don't Rodney me! Should've listened to me. Hell, we should've listened to Sheppard. He was right. Elizabeth, Lorne and he should never be on the same team." McKay continued to pace with his arms flailing wildly. "All the senior staff injured or in the hoosegow on a Wraith ship. Brilliant!"

Rodney was winding up. He could hear Teyla making a similar comment in her cell. This was going to be a longer day than originally anticipated.

Teyla's voice interrupted the rant. "Col. Sheppard fervently requests that Dr. McKay calm his, um…ass…down and Dr. Beckett, the next time he says to 'let go', let go." Much to the consternation of the two doctors, she sounded awkward with the phrasing yet amused.

Rodney snorted his displeasure like the proverbial water buffalo.

Beckett shook his head and sighed, a very long day.

----------------

"Ro-onon, Ro-onon." Her smile called to him just like her voice did. "I've missed you." That bright and enticing smile, the one reserved only for him, met him head on.

Her lithe body stepped lightly around the stiff and decaying bodies littering the former Common Gardens of Carado. The bricks stained with blood and the flowers trampled in this once beautiful place-- the place where his unit made their last and futile stand; the place where the Wraith scooped him up in one of their culling beams; the place where his life took a dramatic turn.

"Ronon," her spectral voice floated around him and beckoned to him. "Come home." Deep brown eyes that he had not seen in an eternity blinked. He wanted to run his hand through her hair. He was afraid the illusion would break if he did.

"Melina, you know I can't." He looked away from her and at the buildings surrounding the gardens. They were still intact. Some reached heights of five floors others were even taller. It was a mixture of housing and business. It was wrong. He told her so. "This is all wrong. Gishon, you're dead. All of this is gone."

"You left me…us." She opened her arm to point behind her. Family, friends, unit brothers and strangers he might have seen in passing stood behind her. "I'm lonely. I'm waiting. It's time to come home."

Suddenly, smoke billowed from the encircling buildings and they ruined right in front of him. Just as the buildings crumbled, she withered to a bedraggled shell. Her luminosity and her vitality were replaced by hatred and darkness.

"You left us…_**me**_. We died because no one came. **No…one…came**."

Her face shifted into Sheppard's. "Leave no one behind. Thought I taught you better than that."

Then, it became Teyla's, "We gave you comfort and a home…this is how you repay us?"

Finally, it became McKay's. "Knew you weren't that smart. Couldn't even protect Sheppard or Beckett on an easy rescue."

"Ronon." This voice was clipped and belonged to none of those present in the increasing crowd. "Mr. Dex, you need to wake up." It almost sounded all-knowing, a deity speaking only to him.

His eyes snapped open. The room was unfamiliar-- at first. Then, the where focused and he relaxed.

"It's alright Mr. Dex," Dr. Biro brusquely and not so tenderly said. "You've been very sick, but the drug regiment we have you on seems to be working."

Sick? He did not remember that. He fell asleep and then…No, that was pretty much it.

"Whatever you and Major Lorne picked up on the planet spreads fast. His ramblings from earlier weren't from his concussion. Not completely." She stood up straight. "You both have fevers that are breaking, finally."

He looked into Melina's face. "I'm sorry, Melina."

Biro shook her head, this little critter made the subject hallucinate.

"I can't go back home. Nothing's left."

Teyla stood on the other side. "I'm coming for you. Don't worry, I won't leave anyone behind. Let Sheppard and McKay know."

From his position at the side of the bed, Caldwell gave Biro a puzzled and defeated look. "Not totally better yet are they?" She had called him down to give an update on their conditions which had deteriorated quickly.

"He was lucid for a moment or so I thought." Biro gave the nurse her orders and walked with Caldwell to Beckett's office. "We've had to restrain them both for their safety. I can only hope that Col. Sheppard is not suffering from the same ailment. It's fairly easy to treat, but left untreated…" She let the statement hang in the air.

"But, Beckett's with him," countered Caldwell.

"Yes, but his bag is right here." Biro pointed to a large backpack leaning against Beckett's desk. "Not doing much good here without him."

"This gets better and better. Just, keep me informed." He pursed his lips again for the billionth time. He released them and offered, "Good work and thanks Doctor."

Biro nodded and watched him leave. She sat in her boss' chair. She did not really desire it one bit. This was not the position she wanted. Give her a lab and a nice specimen to puzzle over and her happiness would be assured. There was too much interaction with actual people in this job.

"You're never going on another off-world mission again Dr. Beckett," she whispered to the office as she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

----------------

_A/N: Cookies? Well, the author begs on knees for the cookies. Chocolate chip, oatmeal or Oreos with a big glass of milk. She will be forever in your debt. The bunnies have gone in search of carrot cake because of their disappointment with Gopher. I tried to tell them…_

_Of course, those joined together shall be torn asunder. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge._


	7. Ch 6: All It Needs Is a John Deere

_A/N: For all you Rodney whumpers out there tagging along with us Shep whumpers._

Chapter 6

All It Needs Is a John Deere

"We are close." The greenness in the project foreman's skin was faded by the sparks from the welders.

Their ships were mostly organic with some mechanization. Since these additions were of Lantean design, the integration process was harder than initially thought. But, they were not impossible and definitely worth waiting for.

She smiled again. Divine right was theirs. The progeny delivered to them. The schematics delivered to them. Only one thing remained-- the route. The progeny would give that answer and then that too would be delivered to them. Now, she was letting them sit and wonder at their fate. Uncertainty was always an ally in these matters. It played upon their foibles, releasing the information quicker and forcing her goals to be reached with the speed of the light shining on her now. The progeny were not going anywhere and if they did…she could find them easily. She wanted the joy of using the fear manifesting in the two cells to break them. Another right of her kind placed upon them by their instinctive divinity.

She caressed the curves of the metal. This little ball of mud had an entire lab and production facility buried with in it. The computers in it were useless (apparently by one of the progeny in her cells), but they had there own. All it took was a little extra work for something so worth the reward to be so close to fruition. Many cycles went by before she could even start and now here they were nearing the end.

"Take the loud one and the female leader to the underground complex," she commanded while lost in the tactile sensations under her fingertips.

She continued to study the lines of the foreign additions to her ship. The Lanteans, the original ones, would regret not destroying their great city. Its engines with many modifications looked beautiful on her Hive ship. That lone warrior's mission was a resounding success. His time in the city well spent. It was the scans he took initially that made all this possible. Scans that produced the plans for the star drive.

"It is time to fit the final piece of our divine need into place." She tilted her head up and looked at all the workers. Human and Wraith worked side by side on the scaffolding encasing the rear of her ship. Some of those humans would feed them on the journey. Some of those humans would worship them. All of the Wraith would rejoice as she led them to a place to satiate there instinctual greed.

_Flawless_.

An unwelcome interruption tore her from her musings as another of her males approached. Never looking her in the eye, he reported.

"He is sick."

Her flawlessness had an easily fixable crack. She knew her prize was injured when he was brought to her those many hours before. They had alcoves set aside for just such an emergency. She could make it all better, only to take it away at a later time. A delightful thrill went up her spine.

She nodded imperially. He knew what to do. When he left, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of progress.

Once again, the sound, the scheme, the day-- potentially perfect.

----------------

He listened to the conversations between the two cells. They had been here for a few hours now. No sign of the Wraith or their human collaborators. Also, no sign of water or food.

"Carson, something's wrong," Dr. Weir whispered loudly.

This was just too much for a twenty-one year old Marine technician. They said he would work on computers. The fanciest and most sophisticated computers known to mankind. Lorne only had him on this mission to evaluate him in the field. He did not like the field much. He liked it even less now, but everyone had more than one job on Atlantis.

"Green, their skin, the Emerald City, the Emerald Isle. The staring eyes, the knowing eyes. Green, all of it. They know." He heard Sheppard ramble.

"Carson, he's burning up."

"Damn." Dr. Beckett ran a hand through his hair.

"What's wrong, besides a fever? Didn't you treat him on the planet?" Dr. McKay asked in his whiny, accusing voice. A voice he must have perfected for just such an occasion. The scar from his own encounter glaring back at the young man reminding him of the doctor's own pain.

"For the physical ailments Rodney. His flume ride or lying on the ground with an open wound or any number of factors could've introduced something foreign into his system. I was waiting to get into the Jumper to start an IV. He didn't need it right away and it made it easier to walk to the ship. The plan was to get back to Atlantis for a full work-up. We kind of got side tracked with the culling beam and all. Best laid plans."

"Well, do something!"

"Whatchya have me do? Wave my magic scalpel and say_ Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo_? I'm here, he's there. My medical supplies are on the Jumper! As loathe as I'm to say this…the Wraith maybe his only chance. And that…"

"…frightens the hell out of me," finished Dr. McKay tonelessly. "Their cocoons have healing properties. Gotta keep the meal fresh. But, what happens to him afterwards?"

They were interrupted by more ranting from the other cell.

"Green eyes, emerald green, sharp, they know. They see everything, Louisa!" Sheppard's voice grew louder and more frantic.

He heard Dr. Weir next. "Teyla, check his torso."

After a few minutes and the probable inspection of the injury, Dr. Weir spoke again, "Carson, the laceration on his side's infected." She was so calm.

Both Dr. Beckett and Dr. McKay turned small circles of frustration in the cell. They were not calm.

"So young. Did Taylor's eyes glow green?"

"Col. Sheppard you must remain still," Teyla gently ordered. "You must quiet yourself."

Both doctors were at a loss. Unable to help, Dr. McKay yelled at his friend, "Shut up Sheppard!"

"Envy! He knows…he knows ladies dig the green. Blue is so everyday. Green, envy, jealousy. He'll leave because of the envy. Sumner's eyes told me everything. Crystalline, faded, cloudy, dead. Do it Sheppard. They screamed so loud. Louder than he did."

The sounds of shuffling and whispering floated to his ears.

"Just do the best you can," directed Dr. Beckett helplessly. "Keep him comfortable."

Dr. McKay paced back and forth gnawing on his nails. Dr. Beckett shot him a look of exasperation, but said nothing. He turned back around and clung to the cell's webbed doors trying to see anything further than he already could.

"Everyone leaves. No one stays. Perpetual motion. Even you, Louisa. Everyone leaves." Sheppard's voice lowered. "Nothing is static."

Another unwelcome sound echoed down the hallway. The tension rose in the two cells as it drew closer.

"Please Col. Sheppard, you need to be quiet." Teyla sounded desperate.

The footsteps stopped. The occupants of his cell could only listen.

"Take him."

"No, you cannot…" Teyla's voice was cut-off with a loud thud.

Cpl. Lawrence Cavanaugh sat with his knees up with his arms hugging them close. This was certainly too much for him. His computer skills back home were exceptional. He was the go-to guy at home, for his friends and at school. "Natural aptitude," a teacher said praising his abilities. None of them had ever met anyone remotely like Dr. Rodney McKay or Dr. Radek Zelenka. Both could make him feel imbecilic.

Here, in this place he sat, listened and watched. He mostly listened: listened to his superior rave about the color green and eyes; listened to the two esteem doctors quibble with each other; listened to two respected leaders report health updates and ask questions.

Over his head was this little boy from Florida. He missed the humidity and summer afternoon thunder boomers. He missed the cabbage palms and swimming pools.

"See the world," the recruiter said. Of course, the guy did not know what he really meant was worlds or even galaxies.

When a drone opened the cell door and jerked Dr. McKay out, the listening, watching and sitting were over. He was a Marine after all. He could kill a man twenty different ways with his bare hands and still qualify for a job at _Best Buy_ on the Geek Squad. His job at this time was to protect the civilians.

Without any further consideration, he charged the drone. His back hit the rear wall before he knew the drone had struck him.

"Lad! Whadya thank yure doin'?" Carson asked while checking the boy over. His accent thickened from surprise, fear and concern.

"I wasn't." _Sand and beaches. Mosquitoes and gators._ "I was reacting."

Dr. Weir passed by the door. Her voice made them look at the area in front of their cell.

"They took Sheppard the other way," she said quickly. "Teyla's fine!" she yelled before she was completely pushed out of the cell's corridor.

"I want to go home Dr. Beckett." _Cicadas singing and sunburns._

"Aye." _Peat, Bobby Burnes and tartans._

"But, everyone's coming with me." _**Semper Fi.**_

----------------

The world blurred as a Jason hauled his dead weight along the corridor. The jacket bunched up and rubbed the bare skin on his back as he slid across the floor. It also meant that the motion pulled on his shoulder.

The question of passing out reared its head again. Since he did not, deep and mind blowing observations could be made.

Some Wraith were green. Sickly green. Puke green. Pea green. Green means spring and life. Not here, it means death. White means purity. The long, white, flowing hair down Jason's back meant contamination resulting in death. So much death.

_Everything and everyone leaves, even him._

He was glad the floor was smooth, no bumps to add to his list. However, the jacket bunching up continued its very uncomfortable ways. "Rug burn," he chortled to himself. "Well, jacket burn anyway."

Jason stopped to communicate with a superior. They really did not talk so much as read each others minds he guessed. The Wraith were missing antennae; they could use antennae. Then they would remind him of a bad 50's B-movie. Some poor schmuck dressed up in an ill-fitting rubber costume with his arms outstretched. Of course, the iratus bug looked more arachnid than insect even if it only had four legs.

_Attack of the six foot tall, bipedal spiders_, he giggled deliriously to himself. _Oh wait, I already did that._

"Shoo, fly don't bother me, Shoo fly don't bother me…" His head rolled around on the floor as he crooned off-key. "Or maybe…The itsy, bitsy spider…"

His songs and thoughts were interrupted by the superior kneeling down next to him. He grabbed Sheppard's jaw with his non-feeding hand and moved it side to side. Next, he removed the jacket and examined the arm and shoulder. He popped it back in place without a word.

The crack and shriek echoed around the room. "Little…warning…next time K-Karl," snapped Sheppard breathlessly afterwards.

Ignoring the lowly human, Karl stood up and motioned where he wanted Jason to take the patient (he could not think of himself as a pantry item just yet). Karl kept smiling as Jason dragged him to a cocoon alcove.

_Surprise, surprise. Behold, I **am** a can of corn._

They stripped him of all clothing and hauled him to his feet so he could stand in the small booth. Once propped up and safely enmeshed in the organic material, warmth flooded Sheppard's system. This feeling was foreign today. He could not help it; he succumbed and enjoyed the sensation. It overwhelmed his brain and provided a sense of security. His mind latched onto it and drifted off.

He startled from that security for a second. There was something he should have been worried about or scared of. His eyes closed again. Whatever it was; it quietly slipped away from him.

----------------

Elizabeth and Rodney were led in the opposite direction of Sheppard through more corridors than they could easily keep track of or remember. Finally, they stopped in front of a set of large bay doors that opened grindingly slow. With the first crack, sunlight streamed in and only grew as the doorway's size increased. The flood of warmth on their faces and bare skin felt glorious. However, being shoved into the brightness was disconcerting due to their eyes needing to adjust.

Squinting to give their eyes time, both glanced around the outside of wherever they had been detained. They exited at ground level on terra firma. A few paces away, a winding little pathway twisted through the remnants of scorched trees. Any other day, this would be a nice little jaunt in the burned-out countryside. Instead of bird calls and insect noise, they heard the sounds of construction. They realized it was a dull noise inside the Hive ship, which they could now fully observe, but since they were now outside, it was quite loud.

Another question answered- they were on a Hive that had landed on a planet, pretty obvious from the dirt under their feet. However, the noise begat other questions. What were they doing? Was that the sound of a hyper-drive being built or modified? Answers would have to wait in order for them to be horrifyingly clear. And, horrifyingly was the correct term.

The guards in front started down the path and the ones behind them suggested- with a harsh shove- for Rodney and Elizabeth to follow. The sun beat down and Rodney grumbled to himself about fair skin, melanomas and freckling. It really would have been a nice little stroll in the garden if it were not for the galoots escorting them or the Hive ship nestled in the stand of trees or the situation so precariously perched upon them.

After about twenty minutes, the mumblings fell away into silence. They walked in that silence looking at the trees, shrubberies and insects dotting the path until Elizabeth leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Nice house."

He looked in front of him and his jaw dropped. He halted and shook his head. Shivering and hyperventilating soon followed.

"Rodney?" Elizabeth asked with her concern growing. "What is it?"

"We're on…on…" He swallowed to control the bile and whatever food was in his stomach. He looked between the ruined stables and the crumbling workers' houses and the decaying vegetables in the unattended fields. He looked at the shabby main house at the end of the winding little pathway. Miss Scarlett and her sisters had walked this very trail a few months ago. "We're on Ixion."

Rodney dug his heels into the ground. "I'm not going in there." The two guards behind him grabbed him by the arms and pulled him down the path. "No, I've already seen what the interior decorator has done! I know all about it. I don't need to see it again. Let's go back to the nice musty smelling cell!" He futilely struggled, but it was enough to make their job difficult.

Neanderthal grabbed Elizabeth at the same time and pulled her along. Her struggle was met with the same amount of success.

"Move," the fourth guard (Cro-Magnon) ordered while pointing a stunner at Rodney.

Rodney laughed. "That's not much of a threat. I'd rather be unconscious."

Cro nodded to Neanderthal. He moved her into a choke hold cutting off her air. Both Rodney and Elizabeth's eyes bulged out of their heads.

"No! Wait!" Rodney shouted. His shoulders slumped and he started walking the rest of the way to the house. "See, going obediently towards the Fun House. Walking hopelessly to my impending doom. Doesn't matter, I wiped out the computer."

Neanderthal smirked. "The Queen only saw that as a minor setback."

Rodney stopped briefly before guard two pushed him along. "They rebooted," he stated dejectedly. Then the reason why he was being walked there hit him in all its Iron Maiden glory. It would not affect Elizabeth, why drag her along? Unless, this was a spectator sport. His stomach churned.

"I hate the Wraith," he muttered.

The grand house looked nothing like it had before. The carnival of horrors underneath had not marred the beauty of the house above when he had last visited. Now it looked decrepit, unused and just plain sad. The paint peeled, the floors were scuffed and the pictures were either sitting on the floor or hanging lopsided. Too bad, Lycee was a great cook in Hell's kitchen.

Elizabeth observed the not so grand hall with a touch of awe. "It must've been something."

"Oh yes. Over there's the parlor where Col. Sheppard tried not to pass out on guests from blood loss. That room's the dining hall where I ate sumptuous meals while Col. Sheppard was starved. Don't let the pretty things fool you Elizabeth…it's a façade."

She studied her feet and nodded.

"Oh you'll see; the best is underneath. And since I'm a genius, I'm pretty sure I know where we're going. I'll have to let Sheppard know- if we survive- it's my turn to be shish kabob. Although, I'm more partial to satay unless there's lemon of course."

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she looked back at him. "I was hoping that wasn't the case. I was trying to let Sheppard's optimism rub off. Foolish thing that. Although, you're right about satay, it's pretty good. But, I really like the mushrooms with shish kabob."

They both looked at each other and shared a darkly, pleased snort.

They waited as Neanderthal and Cro unlocked the door to the stairwell.

"I'll be right there with you," she whispered into his ear. She grabbed his arm as they were led down into the bowels of the beast.

----------------

_A/N: Thank you, thank you so much for all the feedback. It does keep the bunnies happy as well as their discovery of carrot-cheese cake. I've had to roll them back to the hutch. Fat little bunnies. Content little bunnies. Another round Isaac, just keeping my eye on Doc. He's a lecherous old coot and after the cookies._


	8. Ch 7: Home Is Where

Chapter 7

Home Is Where…

Rodney struggled with Neanderthal and Cro Magnon in front of the succubus of a chair. Even the choke hold on Elizabeth was not enough to keep him from trying to break their iron clad grip on him. He had been cooperative until his eyes actually fell on the damn thing.

The two predecessors of mankind forcibly stripped the rest of his uniform off of him. Normally, being naked in front of someone- say the leader of the expedition- would make him redder than a beet. At this particular moment, he could give a rat's ass about the state of his dress or undress. Staying out of the chair was where his energy was directed as it should be- in his opinion.

Drones appeared and finished the task with such ease it was disturbing, frightening and ego crushing. His ass hit the chair and mesh held him fast. He knew the next step. God, he did not want the next step. It happened all the same. The probes inserted up his spine with nerve searing accuracy.

_Wait for it…Ice pick, base of the skull, nothing but gray matter._

He shrieked as the little tendrils slithered inside his skull. When they finished, a current crackled through out his muscles and nerves. _How had Sheppard withstood this so stoically and for so long? That's right, he didn't_. The colonel was at the end of his endurance when they escaped.

Another sensation entered his stressed out and over stimulated body. Soothingly forceful, it wound its way through his brain. "_I am friendly," _it cooed. "_Relax, I am here to help." _It promised an end to this if he would only have a nice chat about things in general.

"_Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I want to go to bed…"_

No, not friendly. Not friendly at all. He looked around the room the best he could. The Queen stood next to Elizabeth. _When did she get here?_

"Tell me trickster. What galaxy are you from?" She asked with the tranquility of a conversation at the water cooler.

_Watch the game last night? Whatchya doing this weekend? Betray your people lately?_

"No," he answered hoping he channeled some of that tranquility.

She just smiled in return and nodded to the male at the accursed console. That was the last he saw, heard or said during his session. Sight, hearing and speech were removed from him. He felt the friendly nudge again.

"_Show me the way to go home…Then you can rest."_

_No, _he thought as the theme music from _Jaws _played in his head- a warning to all those swimming in the predator infested waters.

The intricate dance began.

"What is you favorite thing in the whole wide world?" A toe-headed little girl asked him. She looked all of five years old. Eyes of blue with yellow rims around the pupils bored into his skull.

Rodney shifted uncomfortably as he sat on a park bench near his apartment. "My cat," he answered the little girl sitting next to him. She scooted closer. He scooted farther away. It was a well known fact kids made him nervous. This one in particular put him on edge.

"Where's your cat now?" She waited patiently, too patiently for a five year old.

"At home."

"Where's home?"

"That's why I don't like kids. You ask too many questions that're _none _of your business."

The little girl grew up. The bright sunlight darkened into strobe lights and cigarette smoke. The bench turned into a barstool.

"Want to go back to your place?" She yelled over the music in the club. The speakers emitting the band's electronic mayhem made his chest hurt. The smoke made his eyes water.

He looked at the seductive blond woman in front of him. _Hell yeah, he wanted to go back to his place… _"But let's make it yours," he said with a grin. The beat vibrated right through him. It was becoming more and more painful as a tingle behind his eyes made him squint.

She put a pout on her face. "I have a roommate."

"That's alright!" He yelled waggling his eyebrows. Two could play this game.

Her clothes went from tramp to student as she flicked the pencil against her temple. He waited for the girl to form a question in her insipid head.

"Dr. McKay, Earth's position in the…"

McKay stared nonplussed at the young female student. Why did he always get the dumb blonds in his lectures?

"…solar system is…" she ground out flipping through her notes.

He bobbed his head up and down waiting for her to finish her vacuous thought processes. His arm made hurry-up motions because he was one step away from banging his head on his desk. _Oh screw this, he couldn't wait…_

"Third from the sun you little twit!"

She returned his look with contempt. "I know that, but our galaxy…"

"…_**the**_ Milky Way…" he said with all the knowledge he possessed at his fingertips. If only his peers would appreciate that knowledge like this dumb blond did. If only…

She smiled back.

…he would think before he spoke.

"What's your address?" The grown-up little girl asked as the music thrummed through him.

"Address?" He yelled back.

"Yes silly, how can I visit if you don't give me your address?" She smiled so sweetly. He figured she used it all the time on dorks like him to get her way.

"I can't tell you that!" He looked around the club. He never really liked places like this. Why was he here? More importantly, why was she hitting on him anyway? Damn, the music was making his head throb. The drink was making him sick to his stomach. Do not even get him started on the smoke and the effects on his lungs.

"Just write it down here," she pleaded sticking out her bottom lip while sliding a napkin and pen over to him. Her other hand rested on his knee and moved up his thigh.

He grabbed the pen and wrote his apartment address.

She frowned at him.

"_Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I want to go to bed. I had a drink just on hour ago and it went right to my head…" _played over the club's sound system making his head throb.

"Let's dance," she said holding out her hand.

He took it.

----------------

The Queen was smug. She grinned at a helpless and twitching Rodney.

Elizabeth agreed with him, she hated the Wraith. He was also right: the sadistic best _was_ underneath.

Schooling her emotions, Elizabeth watched as scenarios and scenes played out on the holographic monitor over the console. Appealing scenarios. Innocuous scenarios. A classroom environment, a club scene or even a park enticed him into revealing Earth's coordinates in the Universe.

It was working.

"You see human, the chair knows how to seduce those that sit in it." The Queen stepped away from Elizabeth to stand beside the chair. She ran her hand across Rodney's cheek, caressing it. She looked Elizabeth right in the face. "You will be the witness to our ordained crusade. You will testify to your people of our righteous need. We will feed. I am the beacon for the prosperity of my kind. If you don't, it doesn't matter. We will take what is our right. The Great Awakening is here. Only we were wrong. It is not just the waking up, but the discovery of a more plentiful feeding ground, a chance to expand our nets."

Elizabeth swallowed and stood tall. She wanted to quake with fear, but this negotiation or bluff was the most important one she had made in a while. "We'll fight you. We have resources to stop you."

"I'm sure you do. That will be the next round of questions." The Queen sniffed the air around Rodney and closed her eyes. "I'm patient."

Another classroom scene played out. Elizabeth's heart plummeted as he wrote the address on the white board while arguing with Dr. Jackson. As she watched, she noticed the address was not quite in the right order. Her heart applauded. He was still trying to evade. He would break, but he was making a show of it.

They already had the Milky Way galaxy and that the Earth was the third rock from the sun. The Gate address would give them coordinates to extrapolate from. She wanted to scream. She wanted to help him in anyway. All she could do was stand there and witness.

-------------------

Damn, he felt good. Good, as in nothing could bring him down good.

Sheppard let the feeling sink in and enjoyed it until he woke up in the Munster's telephone booth. One of the males was adjusting the controls next to his little corner of the Universe. His euphoria from whatever the they had done to him still flooded his system. He really should have been a tad more nervous or even scared. Instead, naming the Wraith seemed more important.

_I dub you R.O.Y. _(Rest of You), he thought humorously to himself. _I really am a very clever guy._

As much fun as it was staring at a Roy, he figured he might as well check out the surroundings. The way his head was tilted; the three cocoons opposite him were within his view. A woman was in the one to his right. She was completely covered in the membranes. One entire side of her face encrusted with an organic pulsating mass of Wraith goo. The one straight across from him appeared empty. The one to his left held a very large, familiar looking man. He could have sworn the occupant resembled Bose.

He hated Bose, even after all this time. He still would not wish this on the bastard. What were the odds of that being him though? Where was McKay when he needed him to tell him how wrong he was?

Sheppard's gaze resettled back on the center alcove and tracked down towards the floor. It was not as empty as he first thought. However, it was the one sight that could send him over the edge. It was the one thing that was worse than seeing a friend trapped in one these nightmare inducing alcoves. It drained the euphoria out of him as a pang of adrenaline replaced it.

It was a child.

They had been lucky so far in their dealings with Hive ships and cocooned humans. Usually, they found adults- if you called that luck- trapped to await feeding time. However, they were people who had a chance to live some sort of life. But kids…

Reason left as Sheppard thrashed in his little phone booth on Mockingbird Lane. He had to get the child out of here. Eight or nine year old kids with curly black hair did not belong here. Shit, he did not belong here, but the kid deserved this even less. He had saved an entire planet of kids. What was one little kid in a Wraith held facility? He had to do this.

The greenness of Roy's skin mocked him. Roy hissed at him and another Jason appeared in front to block his view. He wanted to yell at the masked, slasher flick drop-out that he was not going to allow them to suck a kid dry. But, he could not even crack a wiseass comment. His mouth was sealed with more organic matter and a tube was going down his throat. Now that he noticed it, he choked on it. He thrashed even more as his panic peaked because of the situation as a whole.

He hated it when he could only scream in his head.

To his chagrin, the alcove itself restrained his useless movements and Jason placed a heavy hand on his upper chest to further quell his unrest. Roy continued his adjustments until warmth, security and the absolute, incontrovertible need to sleep overtook him.

He tried to fight it.

Roy and Jason watched him. Roy moved his head back and forth like a cobra.

_No, I have to do something…I must…I must…_

Roy hissed one last warning.

_Shit, I'll get to it later._

Jason let go.

-------------------

It was like waiting for that girl you met at the party to call. The uncertainty, the suspense, the cold sweat trickling down your back, except this had none of the thrill. Thank God, it was only Ford after all.

Jumper Four's mission to the address was a bust. It must have been a decoy site. Dart dials in, flies to the planet and dials out to the real destination -- a quick turn-around station. Something they had even employed on occasion. The Jumper flew multiple passes around the planet- nothing, no hive, no signs of life, no team. The Jumper took a look at neighboring planets- nada, zilch, the big goose egg. A major disappointment and set back.

On the other hand, the new mini MALP performed admirably. The terrain was rocky so those six wheels came in handy. Zelenka was as happy as a clam in sauce about that. He sobered when he realized there was nothing there to save though. McKay was a pain in the ass, but the science department wanted him back.

Caldwell creaked the office chair back and clasped his hands across his stomach. Ronon and Lorne were finally coming around and making sense. Only incident to report from that was while the nurse checked the dressings on Lorne's back, she underestimated the teenage libido of a Prom King hidden in an Air Force major. He attempted to leave the dance and to head up to the hotel room with his invisible date. He practically dragged the bed with one remaining restraint, two IV lines and the heart monitor leads about five feet before being caught.

Ronon was having long conversations with dead relatives and friends. He was trying to atone for the sin of being captured by the Wraith and letting them cull Sateda. He also tried to give Biro or someone named Melina a big kiss. The infirmary staff had talked and laughed about that for hours.

Good thing this little bug, or whatever it was, was not contagious. A whole city of amorous, infected, and hallucinating denizens was something he did not want to deal with right now.

Caldwell centered himself. Atlantis was restless. Everyone wanted to do something, anything. There was just nothing to do. It all came back to waiting.

The teams on P51-868 reported only finding waterlogged backpacks and weapons. Sgt. Stackhouse's team (he insisted on going) questioned those in Yarben especially Narmit. Narmit knew the water boy (Te'Jon) only through business relations. They were negotiating an exchange of labor for a part of the crops from his world. Te'Jon's explanation was that his world had been culled and not enough of the workforce remained, thus the need for help. Narmit did not have the address for this world unfortunately. Caldwell had the feeling that, if allowed, the workers Yarben sent would never be heard from again. Instead, it was the Atlanteans that were missing.

Narmit had reluctantly confessed that he had been talking up the negotiations with the Atlanteans. He was so excited that their own local problems were being dealt with and an alliance with a powerful ally was being procured; he thought that maybe the Athosians could help with the harvest. Try to broker a little side deal to cement two relationships. Narmit had unwittingly led the Wraith right to the Atlanteans location and schedule.

Stackhouse reported that the young man prostrated himself in front of him begging for forgiveness. Stackhouse told him he'd think about it and that Narmit would have to take it up with Col. Sheppard upon his return. He said that Narmit would accept whatever Col. Sheppard deemed as punishment. That could be very interesting.

To prove his cooperation, Narmit led them to a house where Te'Jon stayed while in Yarben. He said the owners were old family friends. Upon entering, the house was abandoned. A thorough search was performed and more of the damn wanted posters were found. Stackhouse reported Lorne's were included in this set.

The pictures did not capture their good side.

All joking aside, he did not like taking Wier's office, even if that office's view included the Gate. The city needed the two of them back. The expedition treated him with respect and no animosity, but he was still the interloper in many ways.

He stared out the big window and watched as the Stargate activated. The glowing symbols informed him of an incoming wormhole. It was time to go earn his paycheck because his date was calling back early. The tech was just calling him when Caldwell stepped up behind his seat.

"Report."

The Canadian tech jumped and quickly recovered his composure before speaking.

"It's Ford, sir."

_"Well, hey Atlantis! Sheppard and Weir back yet?"_ The chipper and overly confident voice asked.

"No. You still have to deal with me lieutenant."

_"Now there you go again bein' all formal. Just call me Ford, sir. Hey, there I go bein' all formal. Must be rubbing off. But back to the business at hand, I figured they weren't back since McKay and **Weir **were spotted by my network taking a stroll with some very unsavory characters."_

This was good. They had a visual confirmation on part of the team. Dubious confirmation, but it was confirmation none the less.

"Where were they seen?" Caldwell asked calmly.

_"Oh no, there you go trying to take control of my mission. See I found this, it's my intel and if I need help, I'll ask for it. Until then, you just sit tight. I've got it covered."_

"Lu…Ford, we can help. Add more manpower to help with recon."

_"Clever Colonel, but no thanks. As I said, I've got it covered. Just thought I'd let you know that Weir and McKay were alright a few hours ago. I came to this planet for technology and I found a massive plot by the Wraith. I know I'm no longer a member of the expedition in an official capacity, but Earth is still my home. Plus, I've got family there and it's where I keep all my stuff."_ The mumbling in the back ground reoccurred._ "Well, sorry to cut this short, but gotta run. I won't let the soul sucking Nosferatu anywhere near Earth. You can trust me on that. TTFN!"_

The puddle vanished leaving Caldwell with an empty feeling in his gut. The silence in the Gate room reaffirmed the emptiness.

"Anyway we can trace the transmission?"

He knew the answer before the technician shook his head.

----------------

A/N: Phew! Doc's been locked in his cabin. The man still thinks he's God's gift to women even at one-hundred. Sent a lot of cookies with him…so…

The bunnies are behaving for now, but they are hyperactive little fuzz balls and can be oh so very fickle. They are on a carrot/cheese cake high. The counter also reports that you are reading. Thank you so much! Hope you are enjoying as well.


	9. Ch 8: Reunions

_Warning: Language._

_Addendum to disclaimer: SG-1 is also not mine. Nuts._

Chapter 8

Reunions

Elizabeth retraced her steps back to her nice cozy little cell. She did not want to leave Rodney, but it was not her choice to make. Neanderthal escorted her back forcefully and convincingly.

Rodney broke. She knew he would, but she was not angry or disappointed. He put up one hell of a fight. They got him with the classroom scenario. The temptation to set a student straight was just too great. The address was imbedded in an equation. He tried to play his own version of a shell game, but the Wraith were not stupid and they deciphered it. With the next round of questions, he broke immediately and gave them everything he knew.

She could not even tell him how proud and grateful she was before they took him away.

He was incoherent from the session, but she was afraid it might be more. As her stomach rumbled and her tongue felt like 150 grit, she knew it was uncomfortable for her, for him…

She gave Carson and the corporal a sideways glance as she passed. Teyla waited silently in the cell for her to completely enter and the guards to leave. When they did, Elizabeth exhaled.

"Where is…?" Teyla started.

Elizabeth held up a hand. "We're on Ixion and in a Hive ship," she said for the benefit of both cells. "Remember the chair John was put in to?"

Teyla nodded and a quiet affirmation came from Carson.

"Rodney just spent three hours in it."

"Sweet Jesus!" Carson exclaimed.

Teyla said nothing, but her facial expression smoldered. Elizabeth knew right then, if Teyla got the chance, the Wraith would pay.

Teyla finally spoke, "There is more is there not, Dr. Weir?"

"Yes. They know where Earth is and have an approximate route. He also told them of Earth's defensive measures." She exhaled loudly. "They know about the single spaceship that protects Earth…"

Exhortations came from the other cell. Teyla cast her eyes to the floor full of regret.

Standing at the front of her cell with her back to the door, Elizabeth continued, "They broke him. He tried and he fought them the best he could. In the end, he gave them everything on it: name of captain, armaments, speed and maneuverability, shielding…They have everything they need on the Prometheus."

Teyla's head snapped up and she gave a satisfied smirk. A glimmer of pride for her teammate resided there as well.

"Oh Eliz…" Carson paused for a good three count. "He gave them the Prometheus? Rodney you…"

"**_Carson_**, there's one more question. How long can Rodney go before…?"

"Oh bloody hell! In all the chaos…Damn me for…He should be already well within a reaction."

"I was afraid of that." She paused. "I know the effect of the chair on Col. Sheppard was extreme, but Rodney seemed very confused and extremely weak." She paused again. "Carson, the next time I suggest all the senior staff go on an outing…smack me in the back of the head."

"I'll give you a prescription for it to be administered by the closest staff member available."

She realized she had not heard from the other occupant of the cell. "Cpl. Cavanaugh, how are you doing?"

"I'm all right ma'am."

"Carson?"

"Nothing wrong, but a few bumps and bruises," stated Carson.

Next painful subject…

"Anything about John?"

"No," said Carson as Teyla shook her head.

Elizabeth turned to face the closest wall and leaned her head against it. _Yep, just a bit of a cluster fuck. _Hopefully, Caldwell was not getting too fond of minding the store. If things did not change for the better soon, it might be all his, gremlins and all.

-----------------

He disconnected his early courtesy call. He knew the foolish mortals did not believe him. They did not believe he could handle this operation. He could hear it in that pompous ass of a colonel's tone. This was not a mission to prove about the enzyme. Surely, they had to see that. This time, he had semi-reliable help. That help was the only reason he could make the collect call to Atlantis.

His original mission here was to procure technology. He had met a guy through a guy who knew a guy who knew another guy and so on… It was the Pegasus Galaxy version of a chain letter.

The technology was extremely desirable, a portable shield generator. All it needed was a ZPM. He had considered the Kill-a-Kid world, but he kept that one as a last resort. He might be looking out of number one, but they were just kids after all. What he did have was the knowledge of a group of religious zealots with a ZPM buried in the backyard.

He had a few people in his new and improved unit who could be most persuasive. It was crunch time and being polite was so very outdated. A weak link in the Brotherhood was exploited and firmly persuaded. Bingo, the ZPM was theirs.

These people thought he just wanted payment. What he had been planning was to steal the generator to further his cause. That went out with the bathwater after all the introductions and a gate address was given. They stepped foot onto this little slice of heaven right into an outgoing Wraith party. Oddly, the Wraith had taken up residence on the planet. It was not the expected cull and go operation. The Wraith were here for the long haul. That peaked his interest immediately along with the pictures the lead Wraith was carrying. The family album reacquainted him with those he left behind on Atlantis. Also, the planet provided a steady supply of enzyme.

The Wraith were seemingly so busy with their plans they had not even noticed the missing members of their Hive. Since they were so preoccupied, he changed his mission to find out what those plans were.

Ford dismissed his lookout flunkey to return to the hideout and then he slunk his way back to the large house. The house looked Deep South plantation, out of place in this galaxy. The previous owners reminded him of Gone with the Wind characters. Lia and Osy were sweet, little, damaged things. They had a porcelain quality to them and yet they were still functioning with their minor chips.

Bitterness helped.

So did a need for revenge.

Their Papa murdered in front of them along with Aggie, their oldest sister. The Queen Bean performed the act with the knowledge that it would break their spirit. She underestimated them. They pledged their loyalty and unwavering faith to the Queen, but behind her back they subverted the works. Problems would arise with the building of the additions to the Hive. The computer in the lab had to be wiped twice due to a mysterious crash. They were excellent wrenches in the machine.

However, the Wraith were nothing if not persistent and clever. Each obstacle was met and overcome. That's where he came in. They had the access and he had the explosives. Once he gathered more intel, he would bring Atlantis up to speed. Only then would they come in and help. This was still his mission.

His training let him move like a shadow through the shadows. As he approached the house, the front door opened and Dr. Weir stumbled out into the lovely spring-time air. To his utter shock, she was just in a bra and pants. It was distracting. Woman needed a hamburger. Recovering from that, he noticed the lack of McKay.

He had to be honest. He never liked McKay. Tolerated, accepted, respected and trusted McKay. Liking…not so much. Whatever Sheppard saw and allowed in the friendship department, he never understood. Too late now, he really did not care anyway. The doctor was useful. And, Ford needed that useful, obnoxious pain in the ass.

But to follow Weir or not to follow?

Not to follow. First, find McKay. The Wraith wanted the scientist and Weir was safe for the immediate future. McKay was a part of his fantastic and well thought out plan for stopping the Wraith. He needed him more.

Ford melted into the scenery as he worked his way to the back of the house. The lovely Berje sisters had shown him a secret entrance to the underground complex near the kitchen. He slunk along the walls of the corridors staying in the surveillance blind spots until he reached a side entrance to the main lab.

He continued his ghost-like ways as he moved noiselessly down the cell block. He smiled to himself, _like a wraith in the shadows_. As he grew closer to an occupied cell, he heard a voice. A sweet, damaged, sorrowful voice floated down the corridor.

"…because of you, Papa and Aggie are gone. Because of you, my world dies. I should kill you now."

"But we wouldn't want that now would we?" Ford asked as he reminded himself he could not trust the sisters as far as he could throw them. Revenge was not reserved just for the Wraith.

"No, not yet I suppose," Lia replied coldly sitting on the chest of the quivering mound of flesh in the cell.

Ford slipped into the cell and took a good look at McKay. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since they brought him in here. I'm supposed to clean him up. I want him to wake up and feel the humiliation."

Ford moved closer and put a finger to McKay's neck. He felt the clamminess of his skin and the shaking of his body. "Ah shit Doc, you really are hypoglycemic. Do you know when he ate last?"

"He hasn't."

"Shit!" Now Ford's well crafted and perfectly plausible plan might unravel. "Lia, no matter what, we need him. He can protect and help your people and mine." Aiden knelt on the floor by the shivering and quaking mass of naked flesh. McKay appeared semi-conscious. "Go find some of that fruit juice from dinner and something to cover him up with. What'd they do?"

The cold and sweet smile returned as she stood up to leave the cell. "He had a turn in the chair."

"The chair! Shit, shit, shit, shit. Don't do this to me Doc! I need you," insisted Ford.

"Don't we all," Lia said quietly as her voice trailed after her down the hall.

----------------

The super sweet juice touched his lips and the effects were almost immediate. Just one problem, he hurt like he had never hurt before. He also felt like the grass under a steaming pile of dung- compressed, hot and covered in stinking filth.

"Holy fuck!" McKay exclaimed to an audience of two very blurry blobs. He blinked several times and tried to roll off his very tender and stinging back. "What…who…where?"

"Let me help you, Doc."

"Ford?" Rodney blinked again and again as a hand helped him to turn onto his side. "No, no you can't be Ford. I must be in a hallucination or in a coma or in hell."

"Nice to see you too, Doc," a flash of white from a smile followed the greeting. "Lia here's going to help you get dressed."

"Who's Liaaohcrap."

Ixion.

"I see you haven't forgotten me Dr. McKay. Papa was very unhappy after your last stay with us. But, he and Aggie protected your people to the end; even though you betrayed him…us." The room definitely got colder when she spoke.

As his vision cleared, the brown, lifeless eyes glared at him. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead. But Aiden needs you for something."

Ford beamed a toothy smile back at him. "Yeah, we've got work to do and another Hive to destroy."

Then the session in the chair returned with a vengeance. The cherry, he had led the Wraith right to Earth. His nightmares and reality crashed together like cymbals in an orchestra. He swallowed. "Ford, they have a star drive."

Ford nodded, "I thought they were working awfully hard on the engines. All that scaffolding and workers kinda clued me in, but I got some C-4 Doc and access to their computers." He looked over at Lia and winked. She remained impassive.

"And a destination," Rodney added in a low raspy voice.

"As soon as she said you were in that chair, I didn't think you would be able to keep your mouth shut," ridiculed Ford.

Rodney glared indignantly and spat, "You sit in the Iron Maiden and keep your brains from frying you little bastard."

"Now, now. No need to resort to name callin' Doc. Just statin' the obvious. Well, I'll leave you two alone," Ford stood up. "My time is almost up. Lia disabled the surveillance in here for a little while so we could get reacquainted. He's all yours, just remember, no killing." He shook his finger at her.

"You're kidding right?" Rodney asked nervously keeping one crusty eye on Lia. "You're leaving me alone with her?"

"For now Aiden," was all she said ignoring the complaining mound of flesh on the floor. She brought a bucket and cloth over to Rodney. "I have some of Daddy's old clothes for you to wear, not that you deserve them."

Rodney pulled the blanket up to his chest and wanted to laugh. This chick was not touching him. Plus, Papa Jae had been a good eight inches taller and 80 pounds heavier. Impulse control not being his best trait, he went ahead and laughed.

Lia was on his chest with her hand around his neck and a knife held to it before the last twitter of his unfortunately timed indiscretion ceased.

"You have no right to laugh. Papa Jae, my father, was a great man! You have the right to die when Aiden's done with you." She removed her knee and the knife.

"No, Papa Jae was a cruel and sadistic bastard." Lia let the eight inch blade shine what little light entered the cell in his eyes. "_But_…he was only trying to help out his people and protect…you," Rodney amended uneasily.

She acknowledged his hasty complement. "Get ready, this is going to **hurt**." She stepped over him to view his back and started to scrub his wounds vigorously. Painfully.

"Watch it! Christ, what are you using, a Brillo pad?" Rodney asked between clenched teeth and yelps.

She pressed harder.

"See you later Doc!" Ford yelled from down the corridor while laughing at those yelps.

----------------

Caldwell stood in between the beds of the bleary-eyed pair in the infirmary.

"Is there anything else you can add? Anything at all? Something that seemed insignificant at the time that might help?"

Dex's eyes darted around searching his memory.

Lorne answered first, "I don't remember anything after leaving Yarben. I tackled the colonel according to Ronon here." He hitched his thumb in the direction of the other bed.

Caldwell nodded.

"They played it right. Never saw this Te'Jon until the wagon. And, he doesn't ever want to see me again, but I'd like to see him,"growled Ronon. "The family friends must have been relaying information or just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ronon's hands began the rhythmic opening and closing. Caldwell could feel the intense anger radiating off the young man.

"There was nothing during our stay," added Lorne quietly, also mulling over events. "Nothing outwardly suspicious."

Caldwell looked at nothing in particular on the other side of the room. He waited to give them the next piece of news, especially since Ronon was not Ford's biggest fan.

"Ford's called us and he's seen them, at least Dr. Weir and Dr. McKay." Both men sat up a little in their respective beds. "We just don't know where. Apparently, it's his mission or jurisdiction to rescue them, to share intel when he wants and to make our lives generally difficult."

Lorne flopped as gingerly as possible back onto his bed. Ronon gave a menacing scowl as he did the same.

"All we can do now, is wait. He's suppose to call back and give us more. We just don't know when."

"I'm going," said Ronon with conviction.

Caldwell smiled knowingly. "If Dr. Biro says yes and if you can take orders and if you don't try to place a lip-lock on anyone else, then you're on the team. We'll definitely need your expertise. Just no…"

"John Wayne heroics," scoffed Ronon while giving the colonel a dark glare.

"Exactly," replied Caldwell surprised at the reference. "Where'd...?" He asked as he ignored the much deserved look. It dawned on him.

"Sheppard," all three said in unison.

----------------

_A/N: The author is humbled by the response this story has generated. The reviews…keep those coming by the way, please…and the beloved counter…don't go anywhere ever again glorious counter…make her as giddy as if she was drinking a whole pint of Guinness on the other side of the pond. Nectar of the gods, pause for a moment of silence. _

_The bunnies are now fat, dumb and happy. They have nibbled on carrots, cake and some parsley they found in the back of the fridge. They wiggle their little noses in thanks!_


	10. Ch 9: The Secret's in the Waiting

Chapter 9

The Secret's in the Waiting

"He's improving," the alcove technician reported with his eyes downcast.

From the first moment she stepped into the healing bay, her smile had not left her. He was all hers even in this condition. It constantly amazed her how fragile humans were. Yes, her kind easily took their lives, but only after chemical enhancement. She raised her hand up and placed it on his face. Under her touch, the exposed portion of his cheek felt soft. Although, the facial hair was prickly- a stunning contrast.

"A tiny organism found in his side wound caused the illness, probably from the planet he was on. The others show no sign of similar symptoms." He paused never looking up and added almost apologetically, "One other observation, he woke for a brief time while we compensated for his illness. He became extremely agitated. My belief is that he saw the offspring." He directed her attention to the child opposite. "He was trying to get to it."

She grinned even bigger, something to put away for later. Tidbits like that were always very useful when dealing with the herd.

To her delight, the alcove was doing its job. It took over every function of the body: breathing, heartbeat, nutrition, and hydration just for starters. Through means she did not care to understand so long as it did it, it repaired the body so it was strong and able to withstand a feeding. The process made it more palatable because illness was unsavory. The food might not have to agree, but it should taste good.

"So he will be fully restored?" She returned her hand to her side.

"Oh yes. He should only have to stay in there for two more planetary rotations."

"Excellent. He and I have so much to discuss and need to get acquainted more intimately." She cocked her amber-haired head to the side and studied the slumbering form from head to toe.

She placed her hand on the top of his head and rubbed a small circle on his forehead with her thumb, christening him as hers. "Even in this state, you fight. You are a treat indeed." Her spine tingled once again.

She was too young to have ever seen a true Lantean. She could just imagine what it must have been like to have an adversary so equal. The equality in this partial-breed specimen was evident. It was intriguing and exhilarating.

"I can't wait," she whispered to him with as much glee as her kind could express.

She turned to the technician as he kept his eyes averted, "Inform me when he's ready."

The tech nodded as she left.

She ambled down the corridor of her ship. It was like fate smiled on her hive. They must be doing something right. She could feel all the pieces falling into place. She smiled contently as she kept going.

Her First Male approached her from a side passageway. She acknowledged him with a bow of her head. It was a 'you may speak' gesture.

"It has come to my attention of a possible problem. We're missing a few hive members," he began while falling into step beside her.

"You know we are on a schedule?" She asked casually.

"Yes, I don't think it's a big problem, but we need to exercise caution. We may have infiltration. With your permission, I'll investigate starting with the local inhabitants."

"Granted." She looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. "With the engines only a day or two away from completion, I want my perfection maintained."

"As always." He bowed and left her standing in the silent corridor.

She had her own resources, her own ways of obtaining important information.

"I might have to have a conversation myself," she said in a low voice and continued on her way.

----------------

Slinking, ghosting, or being the absolute smoky image of stealth was second nature on this world. Wraith everywhere, human spies and the occasional dart screaming across the sky made it all necessary.

What a blast.

Ford scrambled down an old mine-like shaft hidden in a stand of trees. The locals said it was used for protection against cullings. That is, when they regularly took place. This was the first time the Wraith had been here in more generations than the locals could count- lucky them for living at the wrong time.

He exited into a moderate size underground cavern. The walls were sharp edged with stalactites and stalagmites jutting out of the ceiling and floor.

"We were getting worried Mr. Ford," greeted the elderly gentleman standing alone in the middle of the cavern.

"Just had to say 'hi' to some old friends," replied Ford with a cocky grin. "You may know one of them, Dr. McKay?"

'"He's here? Where is he? Not on the ship I hope?"

"Nah, he's in one of the lab cells."

The old man closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "That's terrible. I don't know which is worse, Hive ship or that monstrosity of a lab?"

"He's safe for now; I left Lia with him."

"Aiden, you need to watch Lia and Osy; they hate the Lanteans, especially Dr. McKay. They only see their father as a great man, not a man who lost his way. They don't see a man who tortured two people while trying to help his own. Two people, I believe, who would have helped if just asked. Am I right Mr. Ford?"

"Doc Hallidy, you are correct, sir. After what I just saw, I'm not surprised that Col. Sheppard survived that chair because that's what he does. I'm surprised McKay rescued them on his own because that's not what he usually does."

"He did admirably well young man. And, he knows his way around those computers in the lab. Plus, I owe him for that," he said pointing to the shield generator as they passed it. "He did not have to leave it here. And, since you brought the power source, it's kept us safe."

"Use it sparingly Doc. We're going to need it."

Hallidy stopped and grabbed Aiden by the arm. "Does Dr. McKay need my help?"

He tried to give the old man a reassuring smile. "Only if Lia doesn't behave."

Not reassured and slightly perturbed, Hallidy replied, "I already told you…"

Ford put his hand up to stop the man from saying anything further. "I know, I know. I'll keep an eye on both of them."

"You'd better Mr. Ford," Hallidy said as they continued deeper into the caverns.

Ford patted the old man on the shoulder. He really liked Hallidy. He had such an optimistic outlook even in the midst of such devastation. He was also genuinely concerned for the welfare of the expedition members, a rarity in Pegasus.

"Where are Kocak and Mulden?"

"End of the main passageway in the commissary. They're going over the Hive ship plans."

Ford clapped his hands together. "Excellent!"

"I'll see you later Aiden. Remember what I said."

Ford smiled in return and nodded.

The two parted ways and Ford continued farther into the burrow until he met up with the new members of his little rag-tag group.

He had picked up Kocak on the planet the Wraith were going to cull the last time he saw his ex-teammates. Mulden was wandering a bazaar aimlessly, or it appeared that way until he tried to steal from Aiden. Best thing to ever happen. Guy could decipher Wraith and was an excellent thief.

Lousy pick-pocket, excellent thief.

"Gentlemen! What do we have?"

Mulden turned around and gave Ford an exasperated look. "_Aiden_. What we have so far is…a Hive ship making modifications to its engines and holding your ex-friends hostage."

Rolling his eyes, Ford snorted, "Well duh. What else do we have?"

Mulden grinned big, "We have, if the sisters can get us access to the labs computers, a theoretical way to destroy the Hive ship. I've also located the holding cells. There are two main areas. Here and here," he said pointing to two different areas on the schematics. "We don't know which one holds your friends or if they're separated."

"They're _not _my friends…they're my _ex_-friends. You had it right the first time." Ford stroked his chin. "Maybe, Dr. McKay can shed some light on where. My next question is…Do we have anyone on the chain gang?"

"Yes," a solemn, angelic voice answered behind him. "They await your orders Aiden."

"Osy! Good to see you!" He greeted over exuberantly covering up his surprise at her stealthy entrance. "You sure they're ready?"

"Aiden," she said patiently. "They want the Wraith gone as much as I do. The chance to strike at a Hive ship is worth any price." Her brown eyes were just as lifeless as her younger sister's.

Ford kept his smile, but worried that she was not quite as onboard as Doc. Hallidy. He would definitely take the Doc's advice and keep a close eye on both the sisters.

A young man followed her into the room. "This is Te'Jon; he'll take the C-4 to the ship and distribute it to the others."

The young man nodded to Ford.

"Are you sure we can trust him and do the workers know the risk?"

"Te'Jon has been in my father's employ since he was a child. I trust him with my life." Her expression never changed. "I told you that the others are willing to pay any price."

"Then Osy, let's finalize the plans and get these soul suckin' demons off your slice of the pie!"

Ford watched Te'Jon go. Something was just not right about that boy.

----------------

_Dear Diary,_

_Yesterday, I lost the entire senior staff of the Atlantis expedition. Dr. Dupree and Dr. Andreyov are bickering and Bobby pulled Suzie's pigtails, again. Gen. O'Neill and Gen. Landry- not to mention the entire international community- are going to be mad. It was a bad day._

_Steven_

The most maddening thing about the situation was, even though the core staff was missing, life's little monotonous, everyday situations still occurred. And, they were vicious little piranhas in the water- nipping and biting and snipping and snapping. The little teeth took their proverbial pound of flesh to the bottom of the murky lake. No wonder Weir looked like she did.

The scientists on a good day were like two little kids in the backseat yelling, "He's touching me!" Now they resembled blood thirsty piranha with fresh meat in the water.

At any given moment, an egghead might think his best course of action was to get in his face and yell, "I need lab time for this!" Only to have another irate egghead get in his face countering, "I need the same lab for that!"

His favorite so far had been, "We need to recalibrate this hoozy whatzit or the entire West Pier will explode."

He usually did not get migraines, but there was a spot in the middle of his forehead that was radiating out behind his eyes- always a first time for everything.

Now he knew how someone could go postal.

The yammering yokel in front of him was not helping. Caldwell had lost track of the stream of thought monologue directed at him fifteen minutes ago. He was not sure, but the lab coat could have been asking to submerge the city or for Caldwell to throw him off the nearest balcony. He was voting for the latter.

"Dr. Sands, all new experiments on are hiatus at this time," Caldwell calmly explained for the third time. "Regardless of the situation in a week, new experiments will be given due consideration. Until then, continue with you ongoing experiments and draft the new one for perusal at the correct time." _Or, I will clear a pathway from here to the balcony with your dead carcass._

At times like this, he was glad he was tall. He stood up and looked down at the botanist. And grinned.

The botanist back-pedaled quickly, "Thank you for your time sir." He ran out of the office, fast.

Ronon's borrowed feral grin sure did come in handy.

He sat back down and looked at the report he was typing to send with the data transfer. His little mental joke was not far off. He dreaded to report that the team was most likely in the hands of the Wraith. The entire Atlantis expedition was in jeopardy. He had no idea where they were only that they might have been spotted by a rogue element.

And, that yes, the West Pier did come close to exploding because the recalibrations on the hoozy whatzit were done almost too late. One catastrophe averted, more to realize, and more to attempt and control. The fun never stopped.

He stopped typing. He had temporary staff for all those missing. Zelenka replaced McKay. Cadman was in charge of military until Lorne was better or he was going to take one of his officers from the Daedalus to run things. Speaking of the Daedalus, Major Gruman was her acting captain right now. They remained on high alert just in case the Wraith decided to pay a visit.

Of course, Biro was in charge of the infirmary and hating every moment of it. She glared daggers at him every time he visited. If they did not get Carson back soon, she was going to take a full contingent of Corpsmen through the Gate and search every world until they found him. She would leave no stone ring unturned. He was beginning to think it might be the only course of action left to him.

What absolutely stuck in his craw was the mere fact of having to rely on Lieutenant Slappy the Squirrel for information. He understood Sheppard's hesitation in shooting the young lieutenant and now it was probably a good thing since he knew where the missing team was located. But, having to wait for him to inform _him_, a full Colonel, of his inclusion in the man's plan for insertion…

Banging his head on the desk was just not enough.

They had tentative plans in place should the call come in. The teams were on alert. They were as ready as they could be without reliable intel.

"Sir, I must protest the use of Lab 3 by biology, because any idiot can see it has more of a mechanical engineering set-up…"

"How nice of you to knock Doctor…"

"I didn't knock."

"My point exactly…" he gave Ronon's grin again and checked to see if his way to the balcony was clear of any and all obstacles.

----------------

Rodney slurped the thin paste-like gruel Lia had brought him. He was feeling less like the grass under the pile and now more like the pile. He was sure this stuff was a close relation. At least, he was not relying on the chair for sustenance. He shuddered, no extraneous additions to his anatomy.

Lia sat in the hallway right in front of his cell staring at him.

"Those eyes still drive me to distraction Dr. McKay."

Rodney looked up in disbelief.

"Did the Wraith put a tracking device into your back? I saw the scar."

Rodney only had time to nod.

"I have another question for you," she continued not waiting for the response. "What happened to Bama?"

Rodney studied his bowl and the meager, gray, soupy offering in it. "He's dead," he said just above a whisper. "He had a chance to surrender, but didn't take it. He followed your father's orders to the end."

"Of course he would. Daddy could engender the strictest loyalty from anyone in his employ. Lycee died protecting us. Didn't think twice about placing herself between us three and the Wraith." Lia looked off into the imaginary distance. "She was like a mother to us."

"I'm sorry to hear that. She could sure cook."

Lia gave a half-hearted smile. "Yes, she could sure cook." The smile left. "You could sure _die _because you took the generator away. Daddy could sure _die _because we had no means left to protect ourselves. You completely destroyed everything. There's no forgiveness left in me. Aiden'll use your knowledge and then I'll use my blade."

She stood up and brushed off her dress. "I must go check-in. Better get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be an even longer day. The Wraith want to know more about your home. Try not to tell them everything in one go, draw it out a little."

Rodney stared at her. "Well, thanks for the heads up. I'll try not to die right away so you can have the pleasure."

She snorted and silently walked down the hall. The lights dimmed and she left him in shadows. "Now would be a good time for the cavalry to come over the hill," he whispered to himself.

He put the bowl down and listened. "Or now."

Still nothing. "Worth a try."

He lay down on his side and closed his eyes. _Or, it's a good time for Bugs to erase this scenario all together and put me on a nice tropical beach._

He cracked one eye open; the gloom remained- _nuts_.

Luck and bad little self.

----------------

_A/N: The author is still giddy. Chocolate and Guinness and the bunnies being almost nice. Thank you! Now as with anything…She dreads saying this…The next installment might be delayed for a while. The author and her family are moving from one abode to another. So forgive her and keep the pitchforks in the barn and the stones on the ground. She will update at the earliest possible time. Thank you for your patience and rocking so hard!_


	11. Ch 10: Welcome to the Grand Delusion

A/N: Thanks for the feedback and patience.

Chapter 10

Welcome to the Grand Delusion

Ford stretched. Morning was always his favorite time of day- the possibilities, the unknown, the little birdie chirping outside of the hidden passageway that when fried up right tasted like good old fried chicken. See, that's why the Wraith could not have Earth…no more fried chicken that only Grandmas could fry up right… His taste buds applauded at the mere thought.

On the other hand, the Wraith could have all the green peas they desired. Surely, something as vile as the Wraith could survive on something as equally vile as green peas. Yeah, both were on equal footing.

His hearing interrupted his salivating mouth as the crinkling of fabric announced someone's approach.

"I hate mornings," stated Mulden as he joined Ford.

Aiden grinned big. "Ah Garfield, but today, we do a little recon and move the homestead. So much time and so little to do. Wait, stop that, reverse it."

Mulden looked perplexed and shook his head. "I give up trying to understand what you're talking about half the time." After an exaggerated sigh, he continued, "After Dr. McKay's session in the chair, most of the Wraith should retreat back to the ship leaving us ample time to set up."

"That's what I figured as well, but I don't want to wait that long. We need him coherent. Lia said they were not going to put him in it until later. Hopefully, we can intercept him and the others before the baddies know what's going on. Make our job easier."

Mulden sipped his morning drink. "If he's half as smart as you say, we should be able to take the Wraith down with little or no problem…OK, maybe, with a lot and many problems, but we can do it." He paused and took another sip. "You do have a back up plan, right?"

"Always." Ford gave an exaggerated exhale of his own. "Well, let me finish my outside recon of the ship, have a quick chat with the good doctor, and then go make another call."

"Good luck Aiden!" Mulden called out as Ford headed towards the trees before returning to the burrow.

Ford slipped noiselessly into the forest and made his way to the Hive ship. Osy and Te'Jon took the C-4 earlier that morning, but only about six blocks of the explosive material. It should be enough to put a major kink in the engines. He kept some in reserve. As he thought the night before- something was not right about Te'Jon. He sent Kocak to get on the chain gang and keep an eye on the pair. Better safe than sorry.

He moved from tree to tree until he could see the great ship. He gaped and stopped cold once he was in view. The scaffolding was half way removed from the outside of the engines and equipment was being stowed away. The time table stepped up to- let's get this show on the road, right now.

Phone call first, and then McKay.

It pissed him off. Calling Atlantis was like calling your parents for money. _I can't make the car payment. Can I have a loan? _He was not the truant child. He was an AWOL adult after all.

Regardless, he practically sprinted to the Stargate. This time he would not have a lookout to watch his back. The Wraith however left the Gate unprotected for a couple of reasons. They did not want anyone to know they were there. They performed sporadic patrols of the Gate, but little else. One was due soon.

Also, most of the humans were imprisoned in camps with guards. The Wraith rounded everyone up when they first arrived to keep control. They searched for stragglers, but not overly hard. Their over confidence was a real asset.

He surveyed his target listening for any rustling of leaves, breaking of sticks, or stomping of ground. Nothing. They had surveillance devices set-up near the Gate, another reason for only sporadic patrols. He knew them by heart and sidestepped to avoid them with ease. He punched in the familiar address.

After the swoosh, he started broadcasting. "Hola' Atlantis, como' estas?"

"_Ford, good to hear your voice." _

He laughed. "Yeah right, whatever. I'm calling in the big guns, Colonel. Let me give you the lowdown on what we have going on here and then you can send in the troops. Earth's in a world of shit."

Ford gave them a quick synopsis of McKay's situation and his best guess on the others in the Hive ship. He also gave them what McKay had told him. "I'll wait for you here. The patrol's due in fifteen minutes give or take and hour. So, say in about thirty minutes, send in the troops and air support, if you catch my drift?"

"_We have teams standing by. You have just made their day. What's the address?"_

Ford gave it.

"_Received. We'll be there at the appointed time."_

"I'll have the streamers waiting, sir. Ford out." He cut the wormhole and went into hiding to wait. On his borrowed Genii radio, he called the hideout.

----------------

"Have all team leaders meet me in the conference room including Dr. Zelenka. Ask Dr. Biro if Ronon can make an excursion off-world. We're going to get our people. Also, extrapolate the planet's position and see if the Daedalus can make it in time," ordered Caldwell after the puddle disappeared. The technician from Canada nodded and went right to work.

Ten minutes later, everyone convened in the conference room including an irate Dr. Biro with her patient. "I protest. Yesterday he had a fever of 105 degrees Fahrenheit and today, he's going on a camping trip."

Ronon gave her a sullen and tired look. "I'm going. You can tie me to the bed when I bring Beckett back."

"And that is the only reason I am even considering this course of action. Anyway, even in this weakened state, you would leave no matter what I said."

Caldwell pursed his lips to keep from smiling. She must really want Dr. Beckett back to even consider letting Ronon go. Lorne could not make any excuse to get out. His head and back prevented him anyway. Ronon was a force of nature begging you to contradict him.

He looked at Major Warren and Sgt. Fuller, the two Jumper pilots going.

"Ford will be waiting near the Gate. Remain cloaked; we don't know the security measures they have in place." Caldwell looked at two more team leaders, Sgt. Stackhouse and Lt. Cadman. "You will be in the Jumpers as well. Jumper One will remain in the air, Stackhouse you'll be in Two with Warren. You know Ford as do some of your men. It might keep him level. Once there, it's your call Warren. You have the basic plan, adapt as you see fit." He knew he did not need to tell them that, especially the sergeants.

"Dr. Zelenka, let's get your little friend ready for recon of the Gate before the Jumpers take off. Let's keep the surprises to a minimum. Let's go bring them back."

Everyone stood and those in uniform saluted. They dispersed to their mission positions.

"It's about damn time," Caldwell said under his breath. He walked out to the Control Room. They still had another five minutes. He could taste the apprehension and excitement.

"Sir, it would take the Daedalus twenty-six hours to get there."

"Of course it's not a couple of hours, why would our luck change? Jumpers One and Two, we stick to the original plan. The planet is too far away." He checked his watch again. "Good hunting."

Acknowledgements came as Jumper One lowered and the Gate engaged. The Mars MALP went through. After a few seconds, telemetry beamed back.

"Nothing immediately around the Stargate and the area in front is clear for Jumper. The sensors Ford mentioned are very low to ground. They should not set them off," Zelenka reported. He looked at Caldwell. "I can see nothing to hinder them."

"Jumper One, you have a go."

A few seconds later Jumper Two lowered. "Jumper Two, you have a go."

He watched the Gate shut down and felt overwhelming relief. This was his element. This he could do with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed. Even so, he was ready to give Atlantis back.

"Col. Caldwell, there you are! I must protest…" shouted another put-out lab coat.

Caldwell pinched the bridge of his nose.

_Shit._

He could not give it back to Weir quick enough.

----------------

The business end of a canon greeted Ford as he stepped into the Jumper.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Ronon asked with intent to do serious harm if the answer was anything but "no".

"Whoa, whoa there King Kong. No, I found out about this only about a week ago. Been gather information ever since," Ford replied with hands up. "I'm the friendly this time." He looked around the Jumper and recognize the same question on everyone else's face. "Good to see you, Stackhouse."

Without smiling, Stackhouse nodded back. Ronon reluctantly put his gun down and sat heavily on the bench.

"Not looking too good there, Ronon. Feeling a little under the weather?"

Ronon glared, but said nothing.

The Jumper climbed and the pilot turned around in his seat. "Where to Lieutenant?"

Ford walked to the front of the cabin. "Pull up a topographical map."

One displayed on the HUD. Ford pointed to the forested area and a clearing only a few hundred yards away. "Land here; we have some equipment to pick-up, a portable generator. We need to time an explosion and take over a ship."

Warren contacted the other Jumper to hide the MALP and wait for his next communication for orders. They were going on a UPS run.

Ford contacted the burrow. "Have the generator ready to go Doc."

A grainy voice replied on the hand held Genii radio, "Everything's ready. The Wraith patrols are a little more active. Also, Lia reports that some of the Atlanteans have tracers placed in their backs."

Warren called up another image. Sure enough, the Wraith frequencies were broadcasting loud and clear. "Jumper Two, you have a mission. Retrieve our people on the Hive."

Ford pointed to one blip on the HUD. "That's the holding cells." He pointed to the other one on the other side of the ship. "Don't know what that area's used for."

A third showed up at the house. "That's Dr. McKay." The little blip moved. "Shit, they starting the session early."

"What session?" Stackhouse asked.

"It's a torture chair."

Ronon and Stackhouse exchanged looks.

"Ford, what's this planet's name?" Ronon asked.

"Ixion."

"Major Warren, we need to get to him now," Ronon said. He looked at Ford. "You knew that's what they were doing to him and didn't think to stop it?"

"My operation Kong. They don't want him dead. They want to gloat." He purposefully left off the part about Lia wanting him dead. They would deal with that later.

"Generator first. Then we get McKay. Hold off on rescue until we have the house secured," Ford strongly recommended. "Get your people into place and wait."

Warren bristled as did everyone else on the Jumper.

"We need the computers in the lab under the house. They're linked to the Hive ship. We can get our people and detonate the C-4 while disabling the ship. Easy peasy."

"Heard that before, Ford," scoffed Ronon. "Our last meeting ringing any bells?"

"You've been hanging out with us too long. 'Ring any bells,' hah!" That amused him to know in. "Not even Teyla sounds that comfortable with our word play. Bravo there Kong!"

Ronon scowled.

Stackhouse spoke up, "I agree. From what I remember of the shield generator, it was similar to Atlantis shield. It would give us a defensible place and the computers would give us a great deal of information." He looked at Ford. "You got a ZPM?"

"Oh yeah."

----------------

Rodney did not need an alarm clock when the Wraith were around. He was hauled to his feet before the sleep left his eyes.

"Aren't you a little early?" He asked as he futilely fought the drones. "No last meal or prayer meeting or whatever you do?"

The process from the day before repeated itself. This time he did not have an audience for the disrobing. The little probes inserted in succession up his spine and the ice pick went in his skull. He screamed again until they muted him.

"Human, who are the Goa'uld?" No time for games today, simple question and answer. "What are their defensive capabilities? What are their offensive capabilities?"

He tried; he only showed them the smaller attack vessels. He showed them the snakes and how they took over a human host. He showed them staff weapons, death gliders, and zats. He held out while he could.

He showed them the Ori hoping that might scare them.

_Yeah right_.

"Who are the Asgard? Tell me about their transporter technology. Does the Prometheus have this technology?"

He showed them the grey naked aliens and their huge ships and the beaming technology on the Prometheus that was so advanced it could cut through their jamming signals.

He still did not scare them. They could tell when he was less than truthful on some matters and the electrical current raced through his body. He wondered which was worse, amateurs using the chair or the original owners? Sheppard and he would have to compare notes.

He was losing it. Not enough food, lack of sleep and the physical stress were playing against him. He hoped they did not resort to the ports to keep him lucid. His body quaked; the sweat poured out of him; and his head ached.

"Where is your new home?"

He could not help it. Atlantis popped up on the screen. The technician asked again. Again, Atlantis showed on the screen. The Wraith stopped the session immediately. McKay returned to having vision and speech and the probes retracted.

"Take him to the cell. We'll move him later. I must report directly to the Queen," the technician spoke in haste and walked quickly out of the lab.

McKay could see the sneer on the Wraith's face before he left and he wanted to die. Now, they knew the biggest lie of them all.

----------------

A smooth, bright, snow field unfolded before him. The silence was calming like rocking in a chair on the porch and sipping the first cup of morning coffee with comics in hand. Goosebumps rose on his arms and he shivered. They spread to the rest of his body so that he noticed his lack of dress. It held a certain freedom to it, yet the embarrassment factor was still there. No crowd though, he was alone.

A hand fell on his shoulder- maybe not as alone as he first thought. He turned and looked at the owner of the hand. He smiled in recognition and was genuinely happy to see this man. The owner with the thinning grey hair, the same hazel eyes as his and the hands, that contained strength John only dreamed about, stood next to him.

"Peaceful here, ain't it?"

"Yeah Pops, very." John relaxed further in the presence of his paternal grandfather.

"Juke, my son was a dick. I don't know where your Grandma and I went wrong, but apparently we did." Pops looked out across the snowfield and inhaled. He followed it quickly with an exhale and his breath misted in front of him. "You're right Juke, not everyone's cut out to be a parent. He loved your Mom, but her death…Well, that's what did him in. He couldn't get over his grief and raise a son. But, you know this already and recently dealt with it, again."

John's eyes twinkled and nodded in agreement. He had not heard that nickname in 15 or 20 years. He realized he missed it. "Yeah, I was glad Grandma and you were around for as long as you were."

"You were never abandoned Juke, remember that. I wanted to remind you that peace can't last forever. It hides dangers." He pointed across the snow to three individuals. "No matter what, you're never alone. Even when you feel like the last person in existence, someone's with you."

The three kept advancing until they reached the edge of field. Before they took another step, a loud cracking sounded and the snow and ice fell into a gaping chasm with a thunderous crash. The ice and snow billowed into the air obscuring his view of the people on the otherside.

"Obstacles arise, but we're tenacious creatures."

The chasm yawned and the air cleared. The three paced, stopped, looked at the gaping hole and paced some more.

"Never doubt that they'll make it across."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because Juke, unlike your father, their Mamas and Papas raised them right. Plus, they have a friend who taught them well." The older man pulled John into a rough side hug. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts, everything changes. It'll be gone 'fore you know it."

Silence descended again and Pops let go. John watched as the three continued to stalk on the otherside of the ice canyon…

…so very far away.

----------------

_A/N: Didn't realize I had so much stuff until I started boxing it up. Purge baby, purge. Oh wait can't get rid of that, the bunnies are in it. Have to convince them that the new house has a nice fridge to hold the carrots. _

_Another week and the story will resume the irregular updates. If I can find the bunnies, that is._


	12. Ch 11: Ready or Not

_Warning: Violence_

Chapter 11

Ready or Not

The teams slipped out of the Jumper and entered the Hive ship.

----------------

They sat with four tails on the funky feeling floor. They took turns keeping watch, listening and picking lint off their respective clothes. The Wraith were torturing them with boredom and worry.

The temptation was there. With one little mental nudge,everything could be open to her: the location of Col. Sheppard, the location of Dr. McKay and the overall grand scheme. One could guess pretty accurately at the outcome the Wraith were hoping for.

The answers may not be the ones she or anyone else wanted, but she would have them. She looked at the bread brought earlier and the water flask next to it. They consumed them sparingly because it was the only sustenance in…how many days was not clear. Long enough for hunger and thirst to try and take over when it did come. Their own greed was now an enemy.

Teyla was hiding- shamefully and smartly hiding from the Wraith. If they knew she was able to infiltrate their mental links, she would be dead and the information would still only be known by the Wraith. No advantage would be gained, a completely useless loss. Elizabeth told her under no circumstances to betray herself. She complied because it was the right thing to do, for now.

The Wraith left them alone, but something was coming though. The sounds of the ship changed. The sounds quieted most likely due to the completion of their task. The engines must be about done, which meant their time was growing short.

The Earthlings might be heading home soon and not of their own freewill. They had their own ghouls in their galaxy, along with a threat from yet another galaxy to plague them as well. That enemy made her sad. No, more than sad…it was tragic. The beloved Ancestors had their mythic opposites in her galaxy. The powerful and mythic properties of the Ori were simply and darkly consuming. They killed not for survival; they killed for fervor in their own state of godliness.

Disappointing.

She had studied some of the religions of Earth and the fallen angel and God came to mind. Many of the faiths had the good versus evil aspects. It was more conjectural than the struggle between humanity and the embodiment of evil experienced daily. Here, you were physically fighting to keep your soul out of the maw of a Wraith. The parallels were interesting and it still came down to faith.

She was embarrassed to say that she wanted to discuss the many Earth religions with Chaya before she found out who she was. She wanted to find out her point of view of these strange people, so many conflicting beliefs on one planet. Then, her own beliefs came into play and she could not approach an Ancestor. She knew they were not gods, but when faced with one who destroyed an entire Wraith battle group…respect was in order.

Once again she found herself in the middle of that fight- the maws waiting patiently for them.

Teyla was nearing the end of her shift when the footsteps echoed once again. They kept no regular patrol, so this just might be a prisoner check or a food delivery or…

They opened the cell and grabbed Dr. Weir.

…the taking of a prisoner.

The confusion written on Elizabeth's face was heartbreaking. Then, the realization and understanding was even more heartbreaking. All Teyla could do was watch.

More footsteps stomped the halls. Carson, Cavanaugh and she were pulled out of their cells next. The leering just shy of licking lips was all she needed to know. They were now on the list to be put in the supplies hold. They were no longer prisoners; they were food.

_**No.**_

She fought; Cavanaugh joined her; and Beckett recieved a stunner blast before he even fathomed what was going on.

Elizabeth screamed from the other direction and the corridor lit up like the birthday cake at Dr. Zelenka's party. Blinded, Teyla connected with flesh in her frantic bid for freedom. She would not stop until they forced her to.

Her fists flew until a stunner blast hit her solidly in the chest.

Before her brain shut down, she thought she heard concerted battle yells.

Atlantis.

_Thank the Ancestors._

----------------

Murphy's Law always kicked in when on a mission. It was not a rescue operation without at least one thing going haywire. Or, twenty.

"Lieutenant, I think they're on to us," whispered her ATA gene endowed second. He showed her the life signs detector.

Cadman had to agree. The detector had gone from registering three tracking devices to registering over twenty.

Her radio clicked in her ear. "Go ahead."

"_Are you seeing what we're seeing?" _Williams asked her.

"Aye, aye. Do you have your targets sighted?"

One click for yes came back.

"Ours is lost in the clutter," she whispered.

Her second halted the group and she broke contact. He held up four fingers and Cadman nodded back. She directed everyone to take up positions on either side of the corridor along the walls.

She peeped around the corner. The target was down there somewhere in the row of cocoons. All of the alcoves were completely sealed from top to bottom. There was no way to tell who was who without taking off all of the mucous membranes slowly and laboriously while under fire. Not ideal conditions.

Her second signed four more Wraith approached from the opposite way of the T-junction in the hallway.

They knew her team was there. She was going to make two new rules for rescue operations: no laws named after Murphy and no plans laid out by a paranoid, crazed, goofball hepped-up ex-lieutenant.

The LSD showed that four more Wraith had arrived in the alcove area and more were on the way. She was going to smack Ford in the back of the head if she got out of here alive.

----------------

Williams looked back down at the detector and motioned everyone to retreat back to a doorway just off the cell block. He signed eight baddies approaching. They waited as the drones took Dr. Weir out of her cell. They started walking the opposite way from the team. The rest were removed and walked towards the hidden insertion force.

He looked back down at the device in his hand. From what he could tell Weir had the tracker, so the rest came first. He could not lose visual on them. He stowed his device and turned to give orders when Teyla made her move. Cpl. Cavanaugh joined in and Dr. Beckett did not stand a chance as he got stunned outright.

_Screw waiting for Ford, _he thought. It was time for a good old-fashioned firefight. The other three moved around him. He pulled the pin on a flash-bang, gave the sign and whooped up a fearsome battle cry.

----------------

The skeleton crew of Wraith still at the house was easy pickings, relatively. They were escorting a pair of humans. Ronon had some unfinished business with one of them. The conniving speck of filth standing in front of him was a dead man. He noted that Ford was seething as well, but not surprised.

"I knew it! Something just not right about **you**."

Te'Jon stood in the main hall and he _was_ surprised. He also held a girl hostage. Worse, he was skittish.

"No exploding engines today Mr. Ford. The Queen also knows everything about your rescue plan and subsequent destruction of her hard work. Caught Lia here before she did something to the prisoner the Queen would regret." His eyes searched the room for a way out, any way out.

_Only way out is in a box, _Ronon silently sneered at the insignificant vermin.

"I'll kill her," he tried to bargain.

Ronon and Ford exchanged glances and replied in unison, "So."

"They know your people are on the ship. They're waiting."

"Makes it more fun," Ronon said as low and menacing as possible.

Ford double clicked his handy-dandy Genii radio. A few seconds later, an explosion thundered in the distance.

"Hedged my bets there. Didn't give you all of the cherry poppers." Ford smiled brightly. "Although, they won't be as effective as if they were placed on the inside of the engines themselves. Cain't have everything." He tried to look forlorn, but it just did not happen with the arrogant smile on his face. "Chaos is a great diversion."

Ronon's finger itched to finish off the traitorous, dung covered rodent. He wanted to blast a crater through his chest with his beloved. He waited stone-like in his resolve until the proper moment arrived.

Voices crackled in his ear as Stackhouse reported from outside the house.

"_We have a visual on Chicken Little."_

"_Take him at your discretion," _ordered Maj. Warren from the Puddle Jumper.

This little maggot was stalling them so the Wraith could take McKay back to the Hive. His finger itched even more.

"Our friend here reports the ship's a trap," relayed Ronon calmly.

Te'Jon started sweating and placed the gun to the girl's head. "The Wraith know all. You cannot hope to survive or win."

Ford bobbed his head, "Blah, blah, blah. Whatever, you little shit. The Wraith are nothing more than bullies…and a _great_ high. I'm getting bored. Either kill her or try to kill us…by the way, we know about the prisoner you're trying to get back to the ship." The grin returned. "So, what's the next move Einstein?"

Te'Jon looked at the doors to the outside. That was when the earth started shaking. Any lopsided picture fell off the wall. The hanging lights swayed. Dust fell from aged plaster.

Ronon's aim never wavered.

All sorts of squawking started on the radios. Maj. Warren shouted over the din, "_The Hive ship's warming up its engines! Pull out now. We're out of time!"_

"_We have Mama, Bo Peep, Sneezy and Little Bear; we're missing Papa!"_

Cadman was heard next, "_We're cut off from Papa! Wraith have employed counter measures. They have all tracers turned on!" _She was huffing and puffing as she spoke.

"_Do you need assistance?" _Williams asked.

"_Negative! We'll find our own way. Get the rest out!" _P-90 fire rat-a-tat-tatted in the background.

Ronon ground his jaw and rage colored his vision. The vermin finally made his mistake as Ronon knew he would; he moved for the door. He did not have long to ponder the error of his ways when his head exploded from a kill shot by Ronon's beloved. The girl screamed while sticky, red, brain bits peppered her face and clothes. She continued to scream as the body lumped to the floor like dirty laundry.

"Nice shot Kong!" Ford congratulated him while patting him on the back.

_Damn, that felt good. _

Ronon let his gun arm fall to his side. Vindication.

----------------

Rodney was oblivious. Walking was by sheer will power alone. He followed, no, staggered really, behind two of the drones. Since they had brought Elizabeth and him to the lab, Neanderthal and Cro had not made another appearance. Maybe they were in the larder. That would be sweet.

After his session with Vlad, the drones did an about face while on the way to the cell. They started to lead him out of the lab. Change of orders, he guessed.

Lia had been waiting for him at his home away from home. When they redirected, she screeched and raced irrationally down the hall at them. Another human intercepted her as she babbled incoherently about finishing her task. He did not dwell on what task as she only had one concerning him. The drones may have just saved his life…depressing thought.

Now they were back out in the sunshine and trudging towards the Hive ship. His brain concentrated only on two things. Left foot. Right foot. Feet. Feet. Feet. How many feet did you meet? Oh goody, now he was quoting (badly, might he add) another doctor.

So when the drones were struck by stunner blasts and familiar uniforms surrounded him, he was confused. Maybe, it was Ford's little group of addicts. But why would they risk anything for him? He studied the face yammering at him until he finally recognized it.

Relief, big waves of relief.

Stackhouse stood in front of him. His jaws were moving and his lips were flapping, but for the life of Rodney he could not understand a single word. It was so garbled, dyslexia of the ear.

Instead, he decided to say something intelligible.

"'Bout damn time."

Rodney's knees saw something of interest on the ground and went to meet it.

----------------

"Medic!" Stackhouse shouted as Dr. McKay sank before him. He slowed his descent as the corpsman knelt by McKay.

Upon the approach to the little group, Stackhouse noticed the stain on McKay's shirt. Little red dots mingled together to form a red, skunk stripe up and down his back. He was seeing red in more ways than one. No waiting, they were going after Chicken Little right then and there. Like Ford said, easy-peasy. Plus, he did not want to face the rage of Sheppard- when he returned- if they lost the Doc.

The medic checked McKay over. "Get him to the Jumper; I need to check blood sugar first. He's not going anywhere until he's stabilized."

Stackhouse directed the rest of his team to help move the doctor.

"McKay's down," he reported on the radio double-timing it back to the waiting Jumper.

----------------

"No. NO. **_NO!_**" Ford looked up at the ceiling of the house. "No one wants me to have a successful mission. Stackhouse, get McKay's lazy, hypochondriac ass down here. The computer in the lab's our only way to stop that Hive. Or, I'm coming out there and getting him."

Beloved reintroduced itself to Ford's nose. "Leave him be."

"You don't understand. We need to stop that Hive ship now. Next stop is Earth. Not letting that happen Kong."

"Sheppard's on that ship."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, but he's a goner anyway. They leave; it's 6 billion Wraith enchiladas waiting at the end of the journey." Disregarding beloved, Ford ran to the door leading outside and into Dr. Hallidy.

"Brought the generator…" Hallidy said as he saw Lia on the otherside of the two men. "By the Ancestors…Lia are you…who's that on the floor?" The man was flustered as he crossed the room, sidestepping the mess, to reach the catatonic young woman.

She recognized no one and screeched no more. Lia wrung her hands and swayed back and forth. The blood was starting to dry on her face and in her hair, matting it and clumping it into knots.

He placed his coat around her shoulders. "Lia come over here and sit down."

"Te'Jon was a traitor. He didn't set the charges. The ship's getting ready to take off," explained Ford curtly. "He was going to kill her," he added as an afterthought. Ford studied the door again ready to take off after his former teammate.

Hallidy held her and whispered in her ear. She gave him no notice.

Ronon tapped his earpiece. "Does anyone else know anything about Wraith computers?"

"_This is Jumper One; we have the canaries on board. We're coming to meet you at the rendezvous. We have a yes; Cpl. Cavanaugh's a veritable whiz kid."_

"Does he read Wraith?"

"Negative."

Ford grinned yet again, "But Mulden does." Ford used his Genii radio. "Mulden tell me you're still alive and kickin'!"

"_Yes Aiden, though the Wraith were not nearly as concerned about the explosion as we had hoped."_ He huffed out. "_I'm on my way back to the house. Picked up Kocak on the way. Be there in few."_

"I love it when a plan comes together!" Ford grabbed the portable generator which was about the size of a canister style vacuum. "Let's get this bad boy set up and get to destroying that nasty old ship."

----------------

Elizabeth was numb. One of the rescue party gave her a jacket to cover up with once they were safely inside the Jumper. She was at the point she did not care. As it rose off the ground, she expected to hear blades chopping at the air like in all those Vietnam War movies. The quiet whine was eerily anticlimactic.

Her mind went back to the day Kinsey paid her a visit. _Yes Virginia, there is a Stargate. _He wanted her to be a puppet for his own agendas. Never underestimate a woman given power. They gave her command of the biggest and most fantastic secret in human history and he thought she was just a Barbie doll. Boy, was he wrong and, as it turns out, a spineless coward to boot. She never looked back and never second guessed her involvement. Not even now.

They were going home…eventually. They were safe…for the moment. The job was not done…unfortunately.

"Lieutenant, the Wraith have engaged the Stargate. Better…" Fuller stopped as he listened to his radio. "...canaries on board…rendezvous…Yes…Cavanaugh….whiz kid…" The voice kept fading in and out on her.

They did not have everyone though.

They were leaving one behind.

And, they could not let that ship leave.

Cadman's team had scrambled last minute into the back of the Jumper narrowly escaping a Wraith culling beam. They were furious to find out the entire operation had been leaked on Ford's end. Their mission was a bust before it began.

Lt. Williams's team had a shorter distance and luck on their side. A few minutes later and that part of the mission would not have been successful either.

"Lt. Cadman, we can't let that ship leave. They have intergalactic hyper drive engines," said Weir in between her contemplations.

They were going to leave him to die.

Others had already died.

"We know Dr. Weir. We might have to do a little dog fighting in a minute." Cadman solemnly nodded at her as she moved forward. Protection of Earth was first and foremost.

They were going to kill him.

He would understand and even condone it. Absolution.

She was still numb. When the Wraith came to the cell, the alpha whispered the Queen wanted a personal audience with her. More gloating. She never met a race of…beings that like to gloat as much as they did. Not even the Goa'uld. That was saying something. Of course, it could have been much more than the average Wraith gloat he was taking her to. She shuddered involuntarily.

"Cruisers, two cruisers are entering the atmosphere to provide cover." The pilot reported. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it soon."

"Cavanaugh are you up to hacking your way into a Wraith computer?" Cadman asked.

"Aye, aye ma'am. I'll do my best. Dr. Zelenka and I have been working together."

"Fuller, drop them off at the house, and then let's get this minivan into the fight." Cadman ordered. "I'm so angry; a soccer mom would be afraid of me."

Weir looked at Teyla and Carson's unconscious bodies on the floor of the minivan…Jumper. She felt that numb, just not that oblivious. Once they got back, she was going to scream at every wall in her room and then in her office. She still did not second guess herself. Well, maybe a little. But, only because she was useless in this situation. It was all up to the soldiers.

She stared at the storage racks and then whipped up enough courage to look at the other faces in the craft. They had their mission faces on…but …disappointment, oh the disappointment was in their eyes. They had missed one of their objectives. The failure would sting even after the debriefing. The recriminations. The stoic faces full of loathing. "He would not have left us." She could hear it already.

Lorne had stated as much when he had gone to that planet to collect eggs. Losing two men and failing to retrieve the eggs weighed him down for days afterwards. Sheppard and he had a long talk when John was up to it. She was never privy to the details, but Lorne's demeanor lightened. A lesson taught and learned.

Her own self-recriminations were already starting. "I told you so!" John jeered at her from the not quite grave. "You, me- _never_ on the same team. Then you had to throw in Lorne as well…" A look of mischief would accompany that statement, yet he would be dead …serious. He would be kidding himself anyway, as if he would let her go on a mission without him.

Why did she not listen? Because, diplomacy was her ball of string- impressing the locals, commitment from all the leaders on Atlantis, showing them the solidarity. We are of one mind. It had worked. She had done her job.

His ball of string was…just everything else.

These were her people, John's men, and their fellow expedition members. Statistically, it was a successful retrieval. Mr. Math Whiz, Lt. Col. I Could've Been a Member of MENSA would even agree.

"You did good Lieutenant." Weir said. "Thank you."

"Your welcome, and that first thing's a matter of opinion, ma'am."

"No Lieutenant, that was my fault."

The stats did not take into account the human and emotional cost.

Now was not the time to dwell on such costs because they had a job to finish, people to kill.

----------------

_A/N: Ok, so my updates are more numerous than I thought. The bunnies nibbled out of one box and started reading the funnies wrapped around a large ceramic carrot in another. We need to head to the dentist because they thought they hit the jackpot. Never have I seen them so disappointed since meeting Gopher._

_Isaac, just keep the drafts of Miller coming- it is the champagne of beers. The bunnies need to hear some well wishing so..._


	13. Ch 12: The Great Divide

Chapter 12

The Great Divide

After they were dropped off at Tara, both Jumpers took to the skies once again. Each contained a pilot and co-pilot and all others sought shelter in the house. It allowed Elizabeth the chance to step foot inside it for the second time. A shiver ran up her spine.

All she wanted was to run screaming like a child from the haunted house at Halloween. The monsters were real. They kept jumping out at her in her mind's eye, so she halted. She kept reminding herself the job was not done. The fear hollowed out the numbness and in its place, a cold fury burned. Her…**their** entire planet was now in jeopardy. She dug for courage once more and continued on into the house.

Teyla and Carson preceded her into the foyer under their own power, consciousness a newly achieved state. Cadman and the rest of the Jumpers' teams escorted them. Warren ordered her to stay because Cadman knew her way around a computer as well as anyone. Plus, it would annoy the crap out of McKay if the lieutenant came up with a solution along with this whelp of a kid. Weir gave a small smile at that thought.

Stackhouse approached the group from a side door.

"Good to see ya, ma'am. Place hasn't been the same," he saluted and smiled warmly. He pivoted to face Carson. "Dr. McKay's downstairs. A local physician's with him. He's not complaining, but I really think he needs to see you."

"Not complaining? That, in and of itself, is worrisome. Lead the way."

Stackhouse disappeared through the doorway that led downstairs and Beckett followed him.

Elizabeth stopped because fury only carried one so far. She did not want to go down those steps again. _Not the same this time, Weir._ Teyla stood beside her, probably seeing her hesitation. She lightly touched Elizabeth on the arm.

"I will go first."

Slightly embarrassed, Elizabeth winced. "I feel like a small child afraid of the dark. How do you do it? You go from one frightening and adrenaline producing situation to the next and stay so fresh?"

"With both eyes open," Teyla replied and took the first step down.

Elizabeth followed; fury rekindled.

At the bottom, Ronon greeted them. "Glad you could make it. Beckett, McKay's this way."

Elizabeth noticed the scrutinizing once over Carson gave Ronon. She also noticed the slight sway he had as he waited for them to descend the stairs. He too was a battered mess: puffed out eye, waxen complexion and a gimpy stance.

Teyla grabbed him by the bicep as he turned to show them the way. He stopped the turn and looked down at her, "Ronon, it has been too long. It is good to see you as well."

He gave her a warm look, not quite a smile, but a recognition of two friends or family that need not say any more.

Beckett joined them. "Ronon, you alright?"

"No Beckett, but I can wait. McKay needs you more." With that, he limped towards the door at the end of the hall.

Stackhouse held the door open until everyone entered the large office with monitors that captured different sections of the lab. Underneath the screens a girl sat in a chair, a vacant girl staring at everything and nothing. Red stained her face and her clothes. Some of the red had already turned to crusty brown smears.

That definitely deserved an explanation, but now was not the time.

"Watch her, she and McKay didn't get on too well," Ronon told Cadman nodding in the opposite direction. "Or any of us, really," he added after a brief moment of thought.

Elizabeth was not sure she wanted to hear that explanation.

McKay lay on a backboard in a semiconscious state. He mumbled to himself and solved the meaning of the universe only to lose it within a fraction of a millisecond. An older gentleman sat with him and greeted Beckett as he sprinted to McKay's side.

"Dr. Garner Hallidy and you must be Dr. Beckett. He's been asking for you."

Beckett shook the man's hand and knelt by his patient. "Aye, now let's see what we can do for ya, Rodney."

"Lots of drugs," slurred McKay.

"That's a given, Rodney," Carson replied with a pat on the McKay's leg.

Weir nodded at the other doctor before Carson and he fell into discussion about the health of their patient. This was the man that had helped Sheppard and McKay the last time they were imprisoned on the planet. She would introduce herself properly later after all this was settled. She continued on into the main lab that housed that chair. Teyla and Cavanaugh followed as Cadman gave orders for two of the team to stay in the office.

Seeing them enter, Ford whisked past them to the only person in the group he did not know.

"You must be Cavanaugh! Good to meet ya, now get your ass over here and hack this mainframe!"

Ronon's fingers twitched on his weapon as Ford dragged the young corporal to a console. Weir figured the two had a tentative and very fragile truce. A truce that could be broken if one or the other moved wrong.

"Maj. Warren and Sgt. Fuller are going to try a sneak attack on the Hive ship. Hopefully, the drones can do enough damage to slowdown or disable the ship. In order to fire, they must de-cloak, making them vulnerable to the darts," reported Cadman.

How very Klingon or Romulan of them, thought Weir. "Thank you, lieutenant."

Another young man dressed similarly to Ford entered the lab. "Wow! This is bigger than I thought, Aiden!" His face showed the same awe that was in his voice. He looked from one end of the lab to the other. "Oh, Kocak's on the generator," he said distractedly.

"We need your deciphering skills, Mulden." Ford pointed to where Cavanaugh sat at the console. Mulden kept looking around the room. "Now!" Ford shouted as he grabbed Mulden by the arm and pulled him to the console.

Weir looked up too. "Maybe I can help." Finally, something that would make her feel useful.

Ignoring her offer, Ford spoke into his Genii radio. "Kocak, raise the shield."

Cavanaugh listened as Mulden interpreted the screens. Cadman threw in her two cents worth and Weir translated other screens.

"This isn't linked to the Hive. It's linked to one of the cruisers," observed Mulden.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn it! No one plays fair!" Ford yelled. He stalked back and forth in front of the computer.

The radio crackled and Warren informed them of the situation outside the room., "_Hive's lifting off. What's your status?"_

Tremors shook the room verifying the major's words.

"Major, do what you can. We've hit a snag," Weir answered.

"_Understood. Starting my run…de-cloaking…firing." _There was a pause before he continued, "_Direct hit to port side engines…negligible damage…Shit! Darts!"_

"_They must have extra shielding," _conjectured Sgt. Fuller. "_Starting my run now. De-cloaking. Darts already know I'm here…Wraith might be ugly, but they sure aren't dumb. Taking evasive maneuvers…yeah, I see that one! Firing…ambush! Amb…!" _Screaming followed explosions and then there was terrible, terrible silence.

Those at the computers kept working. Those standing behind them looked at their shoes.

"_Jumper One's destroyed. His drones struck the starboard side of the Hive ship's engines- no damage. I'm going to de-cloak and try again," _a subdued Maj. Warren relayed over the airwaves.

"I'm in! Let's see what I can get at…" Cavanaugh's eyes studied the screen along with Mulden. "Gotta find backdoors…" A big grin spread across his face. "Is that the program for communications?"

"Yes," answered Mulden.

"Let's see…beacons…transponders…jamming codes." Cavanaugh's hands flew across the touch board. "Defensive measures…fire control! Navigation!"

"Yes, that's the symbol for navigation." Mulden's grin matched Cavanaugh's.

"I can fire at the Hive ship!"

"Maj. Warren, abort! We need you as our eyes and ears," Weir practically screeched into the ear piece.

Then, something occurred to her. She looked at Teyla. "Can you find Col. Sheppard? Somehow direct him to get off the ship? Control one of them as they have you in the past?"

"I can try." Teyla closed her eyes and they fluttered. She frowned, "I cannot…he cannot…he is completely cocooned in a special section of the ship. He is unconscious according to the…" She broke contact. "They knew I was there." After a momentary, silent sigh, she almost apologized, "We cannot help him."

She looked at Ronon then back to Weir, her face unreadable as to her emotion. Was it sadness, disappointment, or regret written across her face? It could have been one or all of them.

Ronon shifted from foot to foot uncharacteristically avoiding eye contact. He sagged against the far wall of the lab with one shoulder against it. Weir noticed Beckett in the other room directing one of the corpsmen to keep watch over the young man.

Elizabeth turned back and stared at the screen. At least Sheppard was unconscious and would not feel anything when the end came. It was a morbid thought she kept to herself. It was a small consolation, anyway, and something those on the Jumper did not have.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh, when you have a shot, take it," directed Weir.

He nodded back silently, and then produced a strong, "Yes ma'am."

It was time to say good-bye to a good and trusted friend. She looked back at Ronon whose jaw tensed and un-tensed. Lingering illness racked his body. His expression, his complexion, his posture and his eyes betrayed him. He stood next to the door to the office. Every once in a while, he stole a look at Beckett and McKay in the other room. The medic stood sentry next to him just as Ronon stood sentry near the doctors.

"We need to wait until the Hive ship's out of the atmosphere. If we destroy it now, it would rain red-hot debris over a huge area," said Mulden shattering the solemn silence.

"So, what if it does?" Ford asked. "We're safe under the shield."

Mulden glared sourly at him, "There're other people on the planet not under the shield. The darts haven't culled everyone. Also, according to the computers, the cruisers'll physically join the Hive for the jump to hyper space at the last minute. We need to do it before then. Seems the Hive takes over computer control and everything runs on automatic. We'll lose _our _computer control and they might see our handy work."

Warren's voice crackled once again in everyone's ear. _"Darts are returning to the ship."_

"Or not," said Ford and he repeated the message for Mulden.

"Or not," agreed Mulden.

"I have a shot. Taking control now…and firing." Cavanaugh pressed a touch key on the screen.

The seconds ticked off and everyone waited for the good news or relatively good news.

"_Holy shit!" _Warren exclaimed.

_Good holy shit or bad holy shit? _Weir did not have to wait long.

"_The other cruiser blocked the shot! They found us out! Hive's unharmed! I'm de-cloaking…" _He paused_. "Mother…The Hive just fired on our Cruiser, taking evasive maneuvers!"_

Bad holy shit.

Another set of long seconds passed.

"Major. Maj. Warren?" Very bad holy shit.

"_We're here Dr. Weir, but the Hive ship just entered hyper space. The explosion of both Cruisers blinded us and messed with sensors. Nothing more to do up here. Returning to rendezvous."_

Everyone was stunned silent.

An appropriate sense of dread washed over Elizabeth and an equally inappropriate sense of relief washed over her as well.

They had three weeks- give or take a day or two- to save Earth.

"…_I could make it last," _the Queen's voice replayed in her head.

They also had one more chance to save John Sheppard. Hopefully, there would be something left to save. She looked at each and every face associated with Atlantis. She hoped they knew it too.

----------------

The gulf between him and the others opened even wider. The three on the otherside ran farther back as more ice spewed into the air obscuring his sightline once again.

"They'll be back, Dad."

John looked at the teenager sitting next to him in the Elmer's glue-like snow. The slurry kept him from trying anything of consequence.

"I know. We're tenacious creatures."

"What's tenacious mean?" The light brown-haired boy asked.

"We don't quit easily."

"Do you think I could've been a pro baseball player? Maybe another Barry Bonds?"

"God, I hope not. Ballplayer, yes. Muscle bound drug user, no." He looked at the top of the boy's head. The hair was even more unruly than his. "You could've been anything you wanted to be."

"Hmm. Guess we'll never know."

"A man can dream," John mumbled.

The boy wore a scrunched-up, introspective look before continuing, "Scientist! No, Astronaut! Nah, your job's more fun. But, having myself pulled apart and put back together again is really scary."

John smiled, "You need to meet Beckett."

"No, _you _need to see Beckett. I know, garbage man. You find the neatest stuff in the garbage; action figures, TVs, furniture. Plus, you get to ride the truck- on the _outside_." He gave a big smile and an eager nod before looking back at the chasm. "Dad, look. They're climbing down the ice cliff."

John shook his head and scowled, "No." Damn this quicksand-like, icy menace, he could not help. "They should not do that. What if the entire thing gives way and buries them?"

"It's OK Dad; they know what they're doing. You'd do the same."

"It's not safe, not worth the risk. Is it getting colder?" He asked changing the subject while his shivering increased.

"Clever Dad, master of subterfuge you are. Anything worth having is worth the risk. Friendship included." The boy looked at him with smoky brown eyes. "Especially friendship, your arm has grown shorter. It's good to see you letting people in again."

This time, John drew the boy into a side hug. "Not easy."

"Nope, it's not. You just need to wait and endure." The boy looked him up and down. "And, get some clothes."

"That would be nice." Why his own dream would not let him have a wardrobe remained an annoying mystery. It was the ultimate in going commando. He was displayed for the entire world to see, vulnerable to the elements. Of course, his imaginary butt was frozen in the Elmer's glue-like snow. T'was a might uncomfortable.

"No plaid bell-bottoms, Dad. Don't want you looking like a doofus."

"That would have been your grandfathers and great-grandfathers' threads. I would wear parachute pants and a Members Only jacket. Might need a mullet and a single, sparkly glove to finish off the outfit."

"On second thought, stay like you are," the boy replied with a snicker.

Looking forward, they both smiled at the horizon and watched the dots of humanity continue their descent into the rift.

He remained frozen in place. The only movement was his slow sinking into the slush.

----------------

_A/N: Well, the bunnies really love jumping from box to box. I have corralled them and placated them with carrot based Bloody Mary's. Isaac's really outdone himself this time. The stacks of boxes grow in height and I fear and avalanche may be in order to clear room. Getting out a piece of cardboard to ride the wave. _

_As always, thanks for reading and hope you are enjoying. I won't threaten you with fluffy, carnivorous bunnies or militant lizards like other authors, but please feel free to review. _


	14. Ch 13: The Injustice of It All

Chapter 13

The Injustice of It All

Ford ranted and raved at the top of his voice, "Too slow! You people can't accept the fact that I'm superior! You just can't fathom the ease of my plans! Complications. You like complications!" He drew his handy-dandy, Genii made gun and aimed his handy-dandy, Genii made gun at the computer console.

Beloved reappeared. "Ford. Please, do something stupid like firing that weapon in the general direction of one of my team members."

"I almost forgot about you Kong. I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for you meddling kids," Ford heckled as he waved the gun around erratically.

"Aiden, we need the computer to find weaknesses in their ships," said Weir in an even tone. She cautiously stood and approached him slowly. "If we're going to save Earth, we need to keep these consoles in one piece."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," he snarled at no one in particular and then shot the ceiling instead. He did not even flinch as a small amount of debris crumbled down on top of him. "Happy?"

Relieved, Weir snorted back at him, "Thank you, Aiden."

"Aiden? Will you come back with us?" Teyla just had to ask. He knew it was coming and that she would not leave here without the promise of a slight possibility of him returning with them. He was not the least bit sorry to disappoint her. He was so far removed from their way of life, not even his grandparents could have lured him back.

"Yes Teyla, my mind has suddenly changed since I saw you last. There's nothing more I'd like better than to be a guinea pig for Dr. Strangelove in there. Grapevines tell you a lot. I've heard rumors of a mutating retrovirus. No thanks."

"John…"

"Is as good as dead," he closed her down with words full of spite and venom. Sheppard was not his commanding officer anymore and was just another victim of the Wraith in his eyes.

Teyla's downtrodden expression confirmed her distress at his response. He did not care.

"I'd like to say it's been fun, but it hasn't." He dropped a little metal sphere about the size of a golf ball on to the floor. Upon contact, the room filled with an intense and blinding flash. Ford and Mulden ran. His job as far as he was concerned was done. He could do nothing about that Hive and returning to Earth was out of the question.

Upon realizing his plans were mucked up, he decided that this world owed him for ridding it of the Wraith. He double clicked his Genii radio to let Kocak know they were coming. A single click came back which meant Kocak had already blinded and subdued anyone with him.

"We're good to go," Ford said into the radio. When he reached the foyer of the house, he nodded at Kocak and took the glorified Electrolux with him. It did not need the gene to operate and was a valuable commodity. He considered it payment in full.

He clicked his ear piece one last time, "Until next time Dr. Weir, tell my Grandma and Grandpa 'hello'." Once he was outside, he triple clicked his Genii radio. _Time to take this show on the road_, he thought as a dart swooped down to scoop Kocak, Mulden and him up. "TTFN!" were his parting words.

----------------

Jumpers were sent for after the Wraith released the Gate and Ford made his exit. Whatever he had used only left them temporarily blinded, similar to a flash bang. Reinforcements arrived to pick off any Wraith left on the planet. They did not know how many had escaped before they could contact Atlantis.

"They know Atlantis survived and are on their way to Earth. That might need to be on the top of the list of things to know when we send our next communication. Between Earth and Atlantis, a plan must be devised. Fortunately, we have time to get it together before they get there." Weir rubbed her eyes. Adrenaline had left her long ago and she hoped she was making sense.

_"Understood Doctor. What else?"_ Caldwell asked across the distance.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh and Lt. Cadman are working on the computer. The link automatically severed before the Cruiser exploded. We need a team over here to relieve them. Zelenka knows Wraith computers as does Dr. Haushaur. They might know a few tricks and get more information out of it."

She looked at the walking wounded around the Jumper. Ronon was on his last reserve of energy. Teyla's fatigue uncharacteristically showed through her drooping shoulders. Beckett and a medic continued their ministrations to a prone Rodney who was in and out of delirium and babbled ceaselessly.

She could not wait to get home.

"We're almost there Col…" She stopped mid-sentence because her back ached and gave her an unwelcome reminder of what she carried. She had actually forgotten about it. "Carson, what about the devices in Rodney and me?"

"Cadman turned them off. Sorry, hadn't had time to tell ya," he apologized.

She slumped in relief. "Well…that's good to hear." Rodney and she were a risk with those things still in there. They did not need anymore "complications" as Ford had put it.

_"What about Ford?"_ Caldwell asked.

"Gave us the slip, sir," answered Stackhouse.

Weir nodded in appreciation and concluded with, "See you in a moment, Colonel."

As time and events sunk in, she did start to second guess herself. What should she have done differently? What protocols needed to be in place? Did the protocols in place work this time? Would Atlantis become military because of the threat of the Wraith reaching Earth? Would it have mattered this time around who was in charge?

She could not give answers yet. They would come, though. With her in charge, and Sheppard by her side…

Or not.

With a final intake of air, Elizabeth watched Warren pilot the Jumper into the event horizon. It emerged unscathed and a cheer from all those on duty and few who were off duty rose over the speakers.

_"Jumper Two, welcome home,"_ greeted the technician.

Before the Jumper pivoted and ascended, Weir could have sworn Caldwell wiped his brow in relief.

She sat back and thought that she did have the best job in two galaxies. She just was not sure if she was still the right one for it.

----------------

Her anger was a justified bonfire consuming all before her.

"Imperfection! We have only one of the Lanteans left in our custody. One!" Her foreman of the cell blocks kept his eyes on the floor. "I had to destroy one of my own ships! My own! The other sacrificed itself for us!"

She shrieked at all those present in her interrogation chamber before continuing.

"The one who knows more about Lantean technology- gone! Their leader! We had their leader and you let her escape!" She slowly turned in a circle. "The only one left is a prize, but she is their queen. She was to satiate me while I waited to taste Lantean for the first time. She was to be my emissary to their planet and to let them know the hopelessness of their situation!"

She stopped in front of each alpha male from her different sections of the Hive. "Fifteen! Fifteen of my drones taken down and my prisoners walked off this ship! Incompetence! We had to leave before the final testing of the engines! Little humans did this! Foreman of detention, you are relieved!"

She punched her hand into his chest and drained him while glaring at each individual in the room. When she finished, she stared at her hand in disgust. "Weak, even in death. Hardly a satisfying trade." She stepped away from the corpse in disgust.

"Foreman of herd rehabilitation, you are now in charge of herd detention."

He nodded at her.

"Get out."

Her perfection tainted. Her flawlessness pock-marked.

She had had more Lanteans imprisoned on her Hive ship than anyone else in eons. Her kind's wildest dreams resided on this ship for two solar days and now, they were gone like illusions in the wind.

Oh what could have been! A herd of her very own, a select private stock to feed upon at her leisure, all escaped from her. Only one left to her along with one last facet- the knowledge that the city was intact. A portal to Earth was still in existence unbeknownst to her kind. She had a message to send if anything should happen to her Hive. However, her quest came first as did her hunger. The others of her kind could wait to gain this information. Earth was hers alone.

These progeny were clever. These progeny were crafty. These progeny were dangerous.

Her excitement had distracted her. Her youthful exuberance and arrogance had clouded her strategic thinking.

She gazed at the lone living creature left in the room. "A little, human female served me better than my own brethren and offspring," she hissed warmly to the creature.

She walked towards the one called Osy. Her lifeless, brown eyes averted to the floor as they should be.

"Your cohort sacrificed himself for me and you served me better than my own." She cupped the little one's face and raised her head. The eyes were drained of life like her minion over on the floor except this child's heart still beat with in her breast.

"I wanted them to know your power as I have witnessed it on my planet. I wanted them to feel their world die," Osy demurely answered. "The prophesies be upheld."

"So it shall be done, go. You may tend to the last one on board. Know this, he is mine. Your sister's agenda had better not be your own."

"Never," she answered in a monotone voice. "I know my place."

The Queen smiled and dismissed her. Prophesy indeed, she was the guiding light. Even with such a disaster, her engines burned and her path was clear before her. The sacrifice of those at the planet would be honored with celebratory meals.

Time was telling her a righteous and grand tale.

She was the true envoy.

----------------

Caldwell waited. It seemed like the only thing he was doing lately.

Weir was getting x-rayed, Ancient style. The doctors were trying to pinpoint the exact location of the tracking device and any differences from the one Ronon originally had. So far, they appeared slightly different, a newer model maybe? The doctors assured him the differences were small enough that the extractions would be simple.

Thus, he had to hold the reigns a little longer. He kept looking over his shoulder waiting for the shrill call of the Genius Lab-coatius, so far nothing. Dr. Zelenka seems to have corralled his school of sharp-toothed piranha in honor of the team returning. However, Zelenka was slated to go to Ixion, who knew how long his influence would reach while he was gone and while McKay recovered. He would be constantly looking over his shoulder until Weir sat in her chair again.

He looked at the curtained off area where McKay was being cleaned up. They were making sure his blood sugar levels were stable and his injuries were clean before his turn in the diagnostic bed. For McKay, it was quiet over there. Murmurings, sporadic groans and hushed conversations between the medical staff were the only sounds. Caldwell found it unnerving. Weir was right; a quiet McKay was a bad thing.

The one that caused the biggest splash and incurred the ire of Biro was Ronon. From what he heard of the initial entrance into the infirmary, Ronon walked in ahead of everyone else, presented Beckett to Biro and promptly collapsed. He had a fever brought on by pig-headedness. Biro had it written on the chart so it was official. He was curled on a bed, much too short for him, sound asleep.

When Caldwell arrived in the infirmary to check on their status, Biro was putting the wrestling moves on Beckett forcing him over to an empty bed. To his amusement, this time his waiting included a floorshow.

"You will leave the patients to us. You will get into a gown. You will get on that bed. You will never leave for another off-world assignment ever again." She punched him lightly in the shoulder with the last statement. "I've had to talk…to _people_. _Live _people. You're never leaving again," she scolded as she shook her finger in his face. Seconds later, that same hand rested on his shoulder for a moment. "Glad you're safe though."

After she left, Caldwell walked up to the gaping physician. "Know how she feels."

Carson then looked at him in disbelief as he pulled off his boot. "Maybe I can get Dr. Weir to listen to her. I've been trying a similar speech to no avail for two years now," he said undoing the stubborn laces on his remaining boot.

"Believe me when I say, Dr. Weir won't be leaving any time soon- either." Caldwell patted him on the shoulder and left so Carson could do as he was commanded and not get into anymore trouble. Additionally, Caldwell did not want any of that trouble cascading over to him. Retreat was an option he wholeheartedly endorsed in this case.

The last live member of the team was due back when Zelenka took the corporal's place with his science team. Cavanaugh was definitely up for an accommodation. His assignment, Dr. Weir, came back in one piece. According to preliminary reports, the young marine handled himself well. Caldwell would be glad to carry out this duty and would look forward to it.

And then there was Teyla. From the moment he walked in, she tried to make eye contact. She needed to tell him something, but the gaggle of medical personnel made it impossible. Now that they had all receded like the tide, she was his next stop.

"Teyla, how are you?"

"Still…I am fine." She looked uneasily around the room. "Not as fine as before we left, much better than an hour ago," she clarified.

"Teyla, what is it that you've wanted to say since you got back?"

"It is as I feared Col. Caldwell." Teyla usually did not get easily distracted. Her focus waned and diverted to her teammates. "The Wraith, they were healing Col. Sheppard only to…What we find when that ship arrives at Earth…will not be him."

Her shoulders sagged from pain, loss and fatigue.

"We'll cross that bridge when the ship plows into it," Caldwell reassured her.

Cult of personality described Sheppard to a tee. He was just as much a force of nature as his huge teammate passed out on the bed over there. Men were willing to sacrifice themselves for him and Sheppard never even considered he had such devotion. Caldwell ran into it during Sheppard's stretch as a bug. The men looked to Weir for confirmation of orders. She either gave it or amended it. As he said, she could stand her ground with the best of them.

Weir was sure they were going to be able to save Sheppard. Maybe she needed to believe that to go on. Maybe she thought when they found him, Beckett could fix him. He saw the exact opposite in Teyla's face. He saw that she knew that was not going to be the case. The Wraith let her know just so she could look like she did now, hopeless. When they destroyed that Hive…however they destroyed that Hive…he was going to be another member of the cult. Honorary and temporary, but he would be a member for that moment in time. Sheppard might be lost, but there were others on board that needed saving.

----------------

Hands.

Hands, all over.

It was not the good all over.

It was not that dream with Barbara Eden in the Genie outfit and multiple hands…Samantha might have joined in at sometime. That was a great dream.

And, there was nothing he could do about the hands because his brain was in the twilight stage of consciousness. Hearing kicked in, but nothing else worked. His eyes remained shut and his limbs were leaden. The voices floated around him and talked of everyday things. Everyday things on a Hive ship- what they ate for dinner; who was getting served as the main course by whom; and who would have the honor to serve the Queen on this ordained journey.

Self important much?

"I know you can hear me," a female voice whispered in his ear. "Your injuries are healed and our Queen waits for you." The voice sounded vaguely familiar, he just could not quite place it. "The rest are all gone. You're alone."

He must be on a Hive ship. Well, they had pretty figured that back in the cell. Now his heart wanted to escape his chest and run screaming down the hall. His brain, however, did not get the message and fuzzed over so he could return to the twilight. The snow was back and he was now up to his waist in the glue Slurpee.

The three dots had long disappeared into the void. He had every intention of un-sticking himself and joining them, but the snow would not cooperate. He could not get any leverage to push himself out and struggling only furthered his stuck-ness.

The female voice that whispered in his ear about his fate faded and another replaced it. This voice, he wanted to hear; he yearned for it, actually. This voice, he easily recognized and he placed it as the ultimate in safety and comfort. A hand rested on the middle of his back and he looked into eyes that had been missing from his life for a very long time.

"Mom." She looked no different than the last pictures taken of her before she fell ill.

As he sat there freezing, he felt like he was six years old and sick in bed. A time when a kiss from Mom would heal any ailment and she knew more than any doctor- McKays and Becketts included.

"Home John, they're taking you home."

At six, she was the beginning, middle and end of the universe. The universe had gotten much bigger since then.

"I need to wait here. My friends are meeting me." He listened attentively for any noise from the chasm. The silence was disappointing.

Her arched eyebrows and lopsided smirk (now he knew where he had gotten it from) made him feel like a teenager, embarrassed to be in the same zip code as your parents, yet, insanely sad if they leave.

"They're coming John. Don't you worry. It's just taking longer than expected, honey." She hugged him and bumped his shoulder afterwards. He really was six again craving that hug. "Pops is right; you're never alone or ever forgotten."

"I know…They're down there," he said pointing to the gaping hole. "I might not be able to hear them or see them, but they'll help me," he stated with unwavering certainty. It came back to that tenacity and sheer stubbornness residing in each of his teammates. He had a new family that watched his back and vice versa. He hoped she would not mind.

"Yes, they will. You won't…" she stopped and grief crossed her face as a small sad exhale escaped her lips. She placed two hands on his each side of his head and turned it towards her. "Time to welcome the pain. Remember, where there's life, there's hope."

Before he could answer, the snow underneath him sucked him all the way down and entombed him in a crushing cold. The warmth of the face and delicate grasp of his head were cruelly ripped from him. He tried to get his own grasp on what was happening, but nothing made any sense in the darkness.

Sensations from outside his body pressed into his fledgling consciousness and dragged him back to a stark and harsh reality. A pressure strong enough to cave in his chest pushed the air out of his lungs and a very familiar scream finally broke through the twilight to wake him up. The pain in his chest exploded and radiated out to include every inch of his body. Then it drew back to a tight point above his heart.

Of course the scream was familiar, it was his.

His eyes snapped open to intense, tangerine orbs staring back at him.

"Welcome to your new home, tender morsel," greeted a Wraith Queen. She held up her bloody hand where he could see it. "It has been worth the wait."

----------------

_A/N: Oh the elbow room! The boxes still threaten, but they are no match for my case cutter. The bunnies are excited with all the extra space and have thrown a party with the pet turtle and fish. Bear with me as I juggle hobby with finding the baking sheets! Thanks for all the reviews and please let me know what you think._


	15. Ch 14: Reality Bites

Disclaimer: Forgot to mention, I don't own SG-1 either. Shame really, I'd love them to death too.

Chapter 14

Reality Bites

Being fed upon was a lousy, inconsiderate, and, quite frankly, painful way to wake up.

Strings of saliva hung from Sheppard's lower lip as the radiating threads of pain ceased. His whole body shook from exertion as if he had just run a marathon on nothing but a thimble of water and a crust of bread. Tears ran down his cheeks mingling with snot and his breathing labored from the sheer shock of the after effects of the touch.

He must have been a sight, a real babe magnet.

She backed up from him, "This is your entire world." She made a wide sweeping gesture to show him her little slice of hell. Her alabaster complexion shined in the low light resembling a pen and ink drawing with orange-yellow highlights, a walking cartoon.

He followed her hand to see a large rectangular room with a Wraith version of the HUD at one end. A circular bed-like structure that seamlessly extended from the floor was at the other. His head swiveled and his eyes darted around the room taking in everything. His eyes went back to the HUD where the streaming lights of hyper space glowed, casting a blue tinge to the room.

_Oh crap_.

Next, Sheppard looked down the length of his body. Everything below his waist was encased in goo and membranes. He really did not want to know what was going on beneath the goo down there as the sensations were uncomfortable. Both arms shared the same predicament up to the middle of his biceps. His chest was exposed and a bloody hand print adorned it like a logo on a gory, hairy T-shirt. He was positioned like a medical diagram on the wall in the doctor's office and he laughed desolately to himself- easy access. He **was **the edible underwear at Spencer's.

Other sensations made themselves known: pinpricks in the crooks of his arms, a suction feeling over his entire body, including the head, to keep him in place and a dulling of senses- like drugs- masking the pain in his shoulder. His head was stuck to the back of the alcove, but could move like a game controller for Centipede.

He loved Centipede. Shooting the centipede, avoiding the spiders, avoiding the little wiggly spheres that dropped from the sky, it was the first game he was truly good at. Vortex was fun. Pong was great when it first came out. All the simulated flying games of course rated high on the list. But, Centipede…

He did not love this. This was not like Centipede or flying or Ferris wheels or football…

The gravity of his life in her little nest hit him and the panic threatened to choke him and the feeling of abandonment niggled at him and hopelessness created a coldness in the core of his being.

"The others," he rasped.

"All gone."

She did not clarify whether she meant escaped or …no…he would not go there. They escaped. That was the only explanation he would accept, which meant he was alone.

Three little dots clambering across jagged peaks and dark abysses flitted into his mind. Sheppard smiled at the unseen hope from a dream almost dismissed.

He had to believe he was not forgotten.

The Queen studied him for a moment. A skeletal and appreciative smile formed on her face to answer his. "You smile even now when your situation is a forgone conclusion. This is your death chamber and you still retain hope. I knew my choice was a good one. There were others to choose from, but you are a special stock." She looked just to the side of him. "Go ahead human, tend to him."

A cloth wiped his face making him close his eyes. He could not see who was doing this degrading job, but he had to admit, he was grateful. When the cloth moved to his chest, he sucked in air at the continued stinging and burning left by the brutal contact. Only the top of the head was in his view, but it was a woman or a girl he was sure. She looked up at him and he felt that he should recognize her. She whispered in his ear as the cloth continued to gently remove tears and mucous from his face.

"Too bad Dr. McKay couldn't join you." The lilt reminded him of the voice from before. He still could not place the face.

"How do you know McKay?" He grunted hoarsely. It proved that he should recognize her. Only someone who had physically met McKay and was on the receiving end of his charm would wish this on him.

She just smiled enigmatically and silently walked off leaving him to follow her with his eyes.

The Queen placed her hand on his sore chest making him flinch and returning his eyes to her. "We have much to discuss and to explore on our journey to Earth. I have a few questions and you have a few answers. I also have a great hunger."

Her hand pressed again into his chest for just a second. She removed it flexing her dripping, reddened hand and grinned, "It might take a while to satisfy."

Sheppard's quick, witty retort was replaced by howling, coughing and snuffling. His mind fumbled with what she said, and then it struck him that …_intergalactic drive engines are burning their way to Earth._

_Where there's life, there's hope_- but for how long? If the look in the Queen's eyes were any indication, he had three weeks of fun. He was so screwed.

----------------

Dr. Zelenka stepped off the Jumper only to ogle at the house before him. The others reported it looked like Gone with the Wind, but seeing was definitely believing. It needed chatty, hoop-skirted, young ladies having a garden party, not the dilapidation surrounding it or the horror under it.

A young soldier led him through the house to the stairwell and down into the very antithesis of Tara. He wished he was not so adept at deciphering Wraith technology, because when he laid eyes on the chair, he fought with every self-preservation instinct he had to turn around and run. The battle was won by a narrow margin while he walked up behind Cavanaugh.

Cpl. Cavanaugh turned around from the console and relief washed over him. "I'm glad your here, Dr. Z."

"You have done well from what I was told." Radek hoped he gave an approving yet sympathetic look.

"Not good enough, not fast enough," lamented the tired corporal.

"I'll take over from here; you go home. I believe the correct term for military is, 'you're relieved'?"

"Thanks. Oh, the Wraith did not reinstall the virus, or at least we don't think they did."

"We have set up non-networked computers to handle the download just in case. We'll send first data burst when you leave through event horizon." He shook the young man's hand. "See you at home."

Cavanaugh nodded gratefully.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh, it's time I finished my end of the rescue mission," interrupted Lt. Cadman. She gave a flirtatious wink to Radek as she walked up next to the two. "The locals have all moved up to the house and we're organizing a search of this facility. Don't know what we'll find, but maybe there's something else that will help. If you need anything Doc, just ring us up."

"Good, now go before he falls asleep on stairs and we must use him as rug to wipe our feet on." Radek pushed the corporal towards the exit of the lab and waved bye-bye.

"Wraith already did that," replied Cavanaugh taking one last shot as he stumbled into the big office.

"OK, Inga, let's get this ready for transmission," said Radek to Dr. Haushaur clapping his hands together.

"Yes, let's get started," she replied with a smile and her own clapping of hands.

They stood at the console and began their work. He was amazed at the information stored within it. The wraith in their haste to get this lab functioning had not adequately protected the computer from infiltration. They were still not use to an adversary on semi-equal footing. Few safety protocols were in place, lucky for them. Cavanaugh had already segregated portions of the programs for him to download and send. The boy was a real asset to have in the labs. He would have to lord the fact this child knew almost as much as McKay did about Wraith computers.

Ancient computers, Rodney was king. Totalitarian, despot-type king, Kavanagh was not wrong there, but Rodney backed up his words with actions. So, Radek had pretty basically told ego-maniac Kavanagh to stick it. And after Goa'uld disaster, Kavanagh pretty much did. If he had had a tail, it would have been firmly between his legs as he slunk back to Earth. Of course, the image of Ronon ripping the imaginary tail off and stuffing it down his throat was one he wanted to replay in his head. That really would have been sweet.

"Ok, first portion of codes is ready to be sent, you have it backed up, correct?" He asked Dr. Haushaur.

"Of course, don't want to have to repeat process," she answered irritated.

"Good, I'll continue to search through files while we wait." This trip off-world was less stressful than he thought it was going to be.

----------------

"_They make you see things that aren't there," _was the first thing Rodney thought as he opened his eyes to the infirmary. He dreamed Carson came, Stackhouse came, and even Ronon and Teyla came to his rescue. That doctor from his first incarceration on Ixion was also there.

_You were there, and you were there, and you…_

But, no Sheppard. Where was Sheppard? This could all be a massive illusion created by that chair- a final trick to reveal important things and stuff and more stuff. If this was just an illusion, he did not want to get his hopes up only to have them trampled by reality and a Wraith cell in that Godforsaken, underground labyrinth.

Underground installations in the Milky Way galaxy were cool. Underground installations in the Pegasus galaxy sucked.

Cheyenne Mountain- cool.

Grandmother's basement with the camel saddle and photo lab- cool.

Genii radioactive bunker- not cool, it sucked.

He finally screwed up his courage to look around the room and saw the aftermath of apparent carnage. Ronon sawed Redwoods with his snoring; Lorne shifted uncomfortably in his sleep with wads of bandaging from his head to his back; Elizabeth slept restlessly in the bed next to him on her side; and Teyla stood next to his bed on the otherside.

Once his heart restarted, she bowed her head and greeted him with a not quite happy smile, "Rodney."

Fuck. Saying his name made his stomach drop to his toes and boomerang into his throat. McKay knew he was nowhere near the best at decoding human emotions or body language or facial expressions, but everything about Teyla was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

This could not be an illusion by the chair. Those had been so cheerful and blew smoke up his skirt to get the information they wanted. There was none of that in her face. Reality could be such a downer.

He scanned the room again. There were two missing from their surviving group- the pacifier sucking, verdant green, Pegasus galaxy toddling newbie and ...

"Where're Cpl. Cavanaugh and Col. Sheppard?" He was past polite and into demanding in just the five seconds he had been awake.

Teyla's face did exactly what he hoped it would not do; it went neutral. She looked over him to the bed on the otherside. Turning his head (painfully), he wantonly glared at a now awake Elizabeth.

"Cpl. Cavanaugh's returning from Ixion as we speak. Col. Sheppard is…Rodney…"

There it was again, his name said so as to placate him. He wanted to scream.

"Don't you even tell me…" he started, but stopped at the pitying look given by Elizabeth.

"Rodney, he's still on the Hive ship," finished Elizabeth looking him in the face. He did not miss the clawing at the blanket and the fidgeting of her leg.

_I am not going to hyperventilate; I am not going to panic. I am going to get good and angry; I am going to yell! _"**YOU LEFT HIM**!"

"No," replied Elizabeth as Teyla said, "Yes."

"Which is it?" He asked turning his head (painfully) between the two. "It can't be both!"

Before they could answer, Carson came bounding into the room with a nurse in tow. "What's all this?" Beckett snarled at the three of them. He too was in scrubs and the nurse seemed to be chastising him for being out of bed. "Rodney, don't get all worked up! We just got you stabilized."

"No we about it," commented the nurse under her breath.

Carson gave her a scathing glare and swatted at her half-heartedly as he stood at the end of Rodney's bed.

"**You…left…him…_behind_**?" Rodney accused once again punctuating each word and with great emphasis on the end.

"Oh," said Carson realizing the subject of the conversation they were having. His face did the same thing Teyla's did.

Rodney did not want to see the male version of it either.

"What happened? He wasn't brought back to the cells?"

"No, a young man informed the Wraith of our teams rescue plans. They were ready for our teams in his area faster than in ours. They were undermanned at the house so that's why you were easily rescued," reported Elizabeth. "Cadman tried…" she said trying to placate him, again.

"I should've guessed," he sneered. He knew on a certain level that Cadman would not have left him if she had any other choice. He just was not going to concede that yet.

"Rodney," warned Carson, "They flooded that area with guards. Only the explosions set off by Ford's men…" Carson stopped at the wide-eyed look Rodney gave him.

"Where's Ford?" Rodney felt like he wanted to jump out of the bed and hide in a safe corner of the infirmary. "He left me with _her_."

"Who Rodney?"

"Lia, she's crazy," Rodney's eyes frantically scanned the room. "You didn't bring her here, did you?"

"Ford's gone and Lia's with her people. They'll take care of her." Carson sounded oddly calm about the fact Ford did not come back with them.

"Earth!" Rodney yelled. "They know how to get to Earth!"

"It's alright Rodney, that's being taken care of as we speak," relayed Elizabeth. "Caldwell is compiling a report to send the SGC this afternoon."

Rodney was beside himself because Earth was in danger. Not only that, they had been on Ixion and they had been on a Hive ship that was now in hyper-space on a grocery run to end all grocery runs and they had left his best friend there with a Queen that had a thing (and not a good thing) for him and he had given them the map to the Stars' homes.

And, holy fuck, the pain meds were wearing off. He grimaced and groaned, "I've got to figure out how to get past their scrambling…because I couldn't keep my mind closed or my mental mouth shut."

"Don't do this to yourself, Rodney," mediated Elizabeth. "You held out for as long as humanly possible. You only gave them one other piece of info, the Prometheus."

He gave a pain filled smile, "Yeah, thought they'd see right through that one. I guess it was enough of the truth that the chair didn't catch my non-truth."

And yikes, now his head and entire spinal column wanted to throb in time with his heart. His teeth clenched hard enough to make his eyes water and he twisted the blanket with his fists.

"Doctor!" Carson called to Biro. "It's time for…"

"I'm sending a nurse now!" Biro called back from a sleeping Ronon's bed. She checked his vitals and re-checked his IV's while marking notations on his chart.

She walked over to the cluster of people around McKay's bed. "You are free to go, Dr. Beckett."

Carson hitched his eyebrows and smiled big. "Don't have to tell me twice!"

"_BUT_, you will remain off duty until your shift tomorrow," she added sternly.

His smile calmed somewhat as Rodney's grew bigger and then eased back as a nurse added a little something to the IV.

"Now juju man, you know how it feels to be scolded like a two year old."

"Ach, but I will listen and enjoy my down time. Do a little studying…"

"Bed, rest, eat, that's it," ordered Biro as she walked away. "I have my own network of spies too, Dr. Beckett." She shot him a sly, serious expression.

Rodney's smug smile faded as the meds took over. "We can't let him down you know," he said as his brain went back to the reason he was angry in the first place.

No one answered him.

----------------

Pockets were among the greatest inventions ever created. They hid wonderful treasures such as buttons, toys and treasures from her father's lab that this filth did not deserve to touch. Pockets and big folds in her skirt hid her knife that she knew how to wield with great flourish and expertise.

Her knife sank into the soft flesh of a one time friend and it stole his life like he had stolen her father's quest. She eased the old man to floor of her former bedroom, quickly removed the knife, and placed a quilt her mother had made over him.

Her musings continued while wiping the knife on the quilt. The lesser beings had stolen Te'Jon through that gnarled-haired cretin and his devastating personal arsenal. She placed her hand on a streak of Te'Jon's blood still on her bodice and mourned him for a moment. His memory led her to Osy remaining on the Hive ship when it undertook its journey. Osy would witness the end of their civilization leaving her forever alone in this once happy place. She had nothing left here.

With the grace of one mad enough, and madness it was, she walked down the grand staircase past the others who did not deserve sanctuary in her house. Those that lived on her planet and were protected by the shield milled in the great hall and other rooms on the first floor even though it was gone. They had sought protection by a shield that her father had acquired to do that very thing. They had turned on him and snubbed him while he was alive. They condemned him for his avarice and guile in kidnapping people who could help. Her fellow Ixionites had no right to be here either. Let the Wraith return and cull them- they deserved it.

Casually, she slipped into the stairwell and walked down to the level under the intruders who were trying to discover a way to stop the Hive ship. She could not let them do that. They had had their opportunity to help her people, her family, her father; but they chose deceit instead. For that, they should feel like she felt now- cold, numb, and empty.

Oh yes, her pockets hid treasures from her father's lab that this filth did not deserve to touch. Treasures that the Genii had left when they traded with her father last. Treasures she had practiced with and stolen ammunition for from that insane, horrible-looking Aiden Ford. That horrible Aiden Ford stole from her as well, just like his ex-compatriots. She would have to hope retribution from elsewhere would find him. There was not enough time for him now.

Lia walked the corridors until she stood in front of a small storage room. She could not hurt Dr. McKay who had those distracting eyes, but she could send a blow through the others stationed here. She grabbed one last trinket that her father had forbidden anyone to touch because of its volatile nature. She cradled it lovingly and left to finish her task.

It was time to rid her house of the usurpers of her father's things. It was time to go home to Daddy and Mama and Lycee and Bama and Aggie. It was time to put things right.

----------------

"Unscheduled off-world activation," reported Sgt. Harriman.

General Landry stood behind him and watched the Stargate engage and quickly shut down. That usually meant only one thing, Atlantis was calling home. However, they were not due for another two days. He was having an "oh shit" moment.

"Priority message, your eyes only, sir."

"Send it to my office, sergeant." He left the control room and entered his office a few seconds later. Sitting down in his comfy, leather, office chair he opened up the message.

_Well, this is a fine kettle of fish,_ he thought to himself. The very nature of his job was to be the front line in dealing with alien races, whether they were aggressive or friendly. He already had the semi-omnipotent Ori and the hapless, demigod-like Goa'uld to deal with. Now, it looked like the Wraith were coming to pay a visit.

For some unfathomable reason, Earth was the hub of the Universe. And, according to the Wraith, it was the best restaurant this side of Orion's belt. Lucky them, he would have to have Col. Mitchell introduce the bastards to grits.

O'Neill said with that irritating, nonchalant smile of his, there would be days like this. He just did not warn him that they would be regular, or more accurately, frequent occurrences. Landry was feeling bamboozled. He was going to have to give his fellow General a little call, and yes, whining was an appropriate tone between Generals. First, he had to get things rolling.

"Sergeant, I need Dr. Lee and Col. Carter in my office ASAP." He leaned back in his comfy, leather, office chair. They had plenty of time to come up with a plan because, usually, they did not get weeks to try and save the world.

Still, a great man once said, "Today is not a good day to give up glue sniffing."

----------------

_A/N: The boxes dwindle, the bunnies run freely and I can breath easier. Thank goodness I remembered to put air holes in the boxes or it would have been a disaster for the bunnies. Thanks to all those reading and/or leaving feedback. Hope you continue to enjoy. _:)


	16. Ch 15: Giggles and Tea

Chapter 15

Giggles and Tea

As plans go, this one was not bad, simple really: walk into the Labyrinth and destroy them all. The little bobble she held in her wonderful pocket could obliterate the entire room including all the computers, all the people and all their equipment. It would leave nothing but ash.

Her father, the collector, had found two of these egg-shaped devices in his many travels. Someone somewhere had altered a Wraith incendiary device and had made it even more destructive. He tested one of the objects out in a barren field with unfortunate consequences. The blast radius was much larger than anticipated and killed three of his employees leaving only a smoldering crater. He hid the last one for an emergency situation. The Wraith invading was just such an emergency, but he died before he could use it.

Lia was sure Papa would not mind her using it to get these people out of her, _his _house. She had not used it on the Hive ship because the Atlanteans needed to learn the error of their ways. They need to have their planet culled and have their entire family die. With that, she knew her Daddy would agree. Now, he probably understood from wherever he was about their deceit and cowardly ways. He might have protected the Atlanteans in life, but, in death, the truth shined and she knew, he knew.

Her pockets were large and her skirt was full; so the device, which was about the length and width of her hand, remained hidden from view. She ascended the stairwell slowly and held her head high. She would show them what she had lost. She would show them how to face death.

Distracted by her thoughts, she nearly walked into two of the uniformed intruders. The young man recognized her and would not let her pass into the hallway. He asked her questions that she did not care to answer. He tried to put his hands on her to keep her there. The stairwell was not good enough, so she fingered the Genii pistol in her other skirt pocket.

The woman blocking her way to the up stairs also talked at her and fingered her own weapon, which was a very rude thing to do.

"Where's Dr. Hallidy?"

"You're not supposed to be out of bed."

So much unwelcome noise filled her head; it was hard to concentrate on her next move.

Lia knew her simple plan was already forfeit. Through all the vocal clutter in her ears, Lia panicked, pushed the woman to the stairs, and shouldered the man catching him full in the ribcage. If she used the weapon now, the others would know she was there and then her plan would never succeed. He recovered quickly and chased her down the hallway to her father's office shouting for help the entire way.

There would be no help for any of them. She heard yelling and saw more uniforms entering the office from the Labyrinth. She pulled her pistol and started firing it indiscriminately hoping to hit anyone. No one yelled in pain so she figured she missed. All her training with the weapon lost on sheer dumb luck and blind panic.

More raised voices came from the doorway to the Labyrinth and a blow knocked her to the floor from a body crashing into her from behind. This would have to do; she knew she was going no farther.

"Papa!" Lia screamed to the ceiling of the office as her body slammed into the floor. She lay still for just a second until she activated the device that was in the large pocket hidden in the folds of her skirt.

She felt metal and heat shearing her skin off and she heard the screams of those around her and she saw the desperation in their eyes and she laughed merrily until the heat enveloped her.

The pain until the very end was exquisite.

----------------

"Sgt. Welker? Sgt. Welker!" Cadman yelled at the thick door in front of her. She banged her fists on it hoping for an answer. "Sgt. Welker, do you hear me?" He was in charge of the main lab and needed to update her on the situation.

The door had slid into place in the hall leading to the office. By closing, it had cut her off from it. The fire suppression system and/or the emergency protocols must be working. Who knew the Wraith cared for safety so much?

"This is Lt. Cadman, can anyone hear me?"

The girl had shoved her down forcefully enough to momentarily knock the wind out of her. It took her a second or two to regain her wits. When she did, she could not get a shot off because Cavanaugh gave chase…

"Lt. Cavanaugh, please respond!" Royal screw-up, royal freaking screw-up.

Next thing she knew, a fireball was heading straight for her and she pretty much thought of herself as barbeque. _You've bought it now, Laura, _she told herself. The heat from the blast had been…hot, real hot.

"_Lt. Cadman, this is Pvt. Ponds. The lab is sealed off. We're looking for another way out. Everyone in here is fine. Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Haushaur saved what data they could and are following us for the time being."_

"Understood." She banged her head on the door. Cavanaugh had saved the day. This was a big, big screw-up.

Cadman wanted to slide down the wall and cry until no tears remained. Instead, she turned around and started for the stairs. She might as well go meet the other Jumpers hightailing it back to lend a hand. The one that was waiting for Cavanaugh and her was trying to contact her now.

There had to be another way out for those stuck in the lab. She would tell him so a second. She needed to compose herself so she could issue orders and figure the situation out.

She grabbed at her side where it had hit the stairs and slowly climbed the rest of the way up.

This day just needed to end.

----------------

Zelenka clutched the laptop to his chest and coughed. Behind him, Inga whimpered quietly trying to control her crying. He was not too far behind in that aspect either. The lab's eerie yellow emergency lights cast odd creepy shadows through the acrid smoke. The tendrils hung in midair curling around them as they walked- like ghosts trying to grab the living. There must have been a ventilation system pulling some of it out because it was less thick than a few minutes ago. He wished it would hurry up and get the rest of it out.

The heat from the explosion had been intense. Two of the young soldiers (three of them were left) had blisters visible on their faces. Their clothes had protected them somewhat from the rest of the heat when they pushed Inga and him behind the work tables. The emergency doors slammed shut before anything else could happen. The computers shut down when the power was cut so any data on their own computers was it. Overall, it was not as bad as it could have been, but it was nowhere near good.

This reaffirmed his uneasiness about gating off-world. Crazy children thought he was a Barbie head. Scary, see-through lieutenant colonels leered at him. Fellow expedition members get trapped in the matrix of a Wraith dart on a godforsaken, culled world. They expected him to be a hero like Randolph Scott or Cary Grant. Beckett and he would have to start a group to forbid certain members from ever leaving Atlantis, namely the good doctor and him.

Lt. Cadman came across the airwaves again. "_It was the girl, Lia. She must have had an explosive device." _She paused for a few seconds. "_Cpl. Cavanaugh stopped her from going any farther than the office, I take it?"_

"Cpl. Cavanaugh?" Radek asked weakly. "He was in there?"

"_I'm sorry Dr. Zelenka…she didn't make it into the lab right?" _Her voice broke subtly.

Dr. Haushaur sniffed a little more vigorously and the tension increased in Pvt. Ponds' shoulders. The other two also clenched their weapons and pursed their lips tightly.

"She did not make it into the lab. Sgt. Welker, Sgt. Mulrooney and his team went in to assist." Ponds kept walking down the corridor of Wraith cells, weapon at the ready.

"_Damn."_

"I agree, ma'am."

Ponds stopped at the very end and turned around to face Zelenka. "What about this door? It's not like the others."

"I didn't get to study the schematics long enough to find out where everything leads," he answered apologetically. "I was just getting started when…" He broke off, handed his laptop to Haushaur, and busied himself with the door.

"Do your best, Doc," encouraged the young man.

"_Lt. Cadman, this is Korkov. What can we do to help?" _Another voice entered the conversation. "_Is the fire out?"_

"_The room is contained. I'm in the stairwell leading to the main entrance hall, I'll join you on the Jumper in a few. If you can, scan the house and help the ones stuck on the lower level to get out."_

"_This, I will do."_

Radek recognized the name from the roster of Russian military attached to Atlantis. Korkov had been in Atlantis for several months. Not an original member, but not a rookie either. He had actually shared a drink or two with the man in a large group. Vodka is never too far from a Russian's grasp and it sure beat that Athosian stout tea.

"Korkov, this is Zelenka. We're in front of door down in the cell holding area. I'm trying to open it now. Please tell me, it's not a broom closet."

"_No Radek, you have found secret passageway behind the broom closet," _was the reply.

"Good, good," mumbled Zelenka distractedly. "Then, I'll have it open in a jiffy."

"_See you when you get up here; I'll have some water waiting."_

"It had better be water," scolded Zelenka. "Later, it had better not be."

"_Gentlemen," _interrupted Cadman. "_Better save some of that water for the rest of us."_

"_Always Lieutenant. Is best water known to mankind. And, only way to remember fallen comrades."_

The door slid open to reveal a small compartment. Zelenka entered part of the way and studied the room using a flashlight from one of the soldiers. "Pavel, which wall is entrance to passageway?"

"_One to left as you face back."_

"Aah, I think I see trigger."

It was a small circular light that, with the power out and a flashlight shining on it looked different from the others.

He pressed it.

Nothing happened.

He pulled it.

Nothing happened.

He turned it.

Nothing happened.

He took his palm, placed it firmly on top, and did all three. It opened to a long narrow shaft with a ladder going towards the surface.

"Well done Doc!" Ponds congratulated him as the others patted him on the back.

"Is time to go home and have stiff drink and listen to moody, horrible music," he said as he stared up at the dark passageway.

"Amen Doc, amen," solemnly agreed one of the soldiers behind him.

----------------

Her eyes were so deep brown that they looked black, the pupil barely visible even in good light. Infinite was a good way to describe them and he was completely lost in them.

"We should go to the Carado Flower Festival and formally declare our intentions," she whispered across his chest as her head lay on it.

She felt so real curled up next to him on the bed, but he knew this was a dream. A dream he did not want to wake up from.

"But so many do it; it's not very intimate. Plus, I think everyone and their neighbor already know our intentions," he replied with a seductive leer.

She lightly smacked him on the belly and giggled.

He had pushed this back so far in his mind and he had done it so long ago…he had done it to survive. Even though he did not want to wake up, he was not real sure if he liked or loathed the dream/memory.

"We can use your making Specialist as an excuse and invite everyone. Then, surprise! Look we decided to join! Let's all go down to the Festival!"

He laughed into her hair as it tickled his nose. His response was interrupted by a loud argument.

"BECKETT SAID I COULD HAVE IT!"

He looked down into her dark eyes. That insistent voice did not belong here. It **_really _**did not belong here.

"…I am your still doctor!" was the curt and forced response. "HAND…IT…_OVER_!"

Gishon disappeared and darkness filled the void until he opened his eyes. Teyla sat next to his bed and watched- quite amusedly- the otherside of the room. A game of tug-o-war played out between McKay and Biro over his laptop. Each held one side until Biro let go. McKay snapped back in the bed and groaned loudly. He twisted in pain from the impact and tried to get off his back as quickly as possible.

She snatched the laptop as soon as he let it go to tend his many pains.

"See you can't even concentrate because of your injuries," Biro jubilantly scolded. "I'll talk to Dr. Beckett about undermining my orders!"

"Pain? I wasn't in pain until…"

She walked a little ways away and turned around, "You can have this tomorrow when Dr. Beckett resumes his duties."

The glare she received was pure McKay annoyance. He winced and looked at Lorne, Teyla and Ronon. "Whaddya lookin' at?" McKay hissed and closed his eyes to let them know he was not entertaining any conversation at this time. He rolled onto his side, shut his eyes, and feigned sleep.

With a half-smile, Teyla turned her attention to Ronon. "You are feeling better?"

"Much."

"Still the master of conversation, I see," chided Lorne from his bed on the other side of Teyla.

Ronon ignored him. "What's the next move?"

Rodney's eyes opened, "To stop them, of course."

"Of course," said Ronon.

If he was ever trapped on a Hive ship again, he wanted McKay there with him. Through the complaining, through the whining, through the refuting and through the loud snorting of disapproval, some outrageous idea would hatch to thwart the enemy. For all his pessimism, McKay was a closet optimist.

Lorne and Teyla snorted in agreement with Ronon's answer.

Teyla patted his arm before speaking, "Col. Caldwell is holding a brainstorming and information session tomorrow afternoon. We are waiting for Lt. Cadman, Dr. Zelenka and Dr. Haushaur to return from the planet…"

"Wait, where's Cavanaugh?" Ronon interrupted while surveying the room. "Wasn't he supposed to come back with Cadman?"

He knew right away by the look on her face and then by the looks the others had in turn what had happened. "How?"

"Lia, that crazy little…"

"Rodney." Teyla warned him off. "She had an explosive device, Cpl. Cavanaugh and others stopped her from reaching the lab. Unfortunately, it destroyed the office instead."

"Zelenka and the others are on their way now," added Lorne.

"I'll be at that meeting," Ronon stated.

"Not physically," reprimanded Biro as she reappeared and walked up to his bed.

Ronon started to protest.

"We'll be linked by radio," said Lorne with mock cheerfulness.

He nodded back and Teyla patted him on the arm again.

Biro looked at the empty bed next to McKay's. "Is Dr. Weir still…"

"I'm coming!" Weir called from around the corner. "You'd think on Atlantis, there wouldn't be a line for the Ladies room. But, there it was."

She saw Ronon's half-lidded eyes and smiled genuinely. "Ronon, good to see you awake."

His nodding was getting a workout.

Biro abruptly stopped checking him over and stood straight up. "Yes Colonel. I understand. Thank you, my teams should be there already."

"The Jumper from Ixion is back. We'll bring them here." She explained to the eavesdropping group staring at her.

Weir took her turn to nod and looked at each person in the immediate area. With passion, she informed them, "We will stop them. We will retrieve John. Too many have died for us to fail their sacrifice now."

----------------

Even as a child, she was uncommonly good at playing with her food. Then, as she grew up and the food became more interactive, she took it to new levels.

This morsel truly amused her. As she sauntered by, her claw might rake across his exposed upper chest gouging a line in his skin. With each pass, the cut reopened, deepened and bled a little more. She liked to keep him guessing, confuse him. _Will I take a day off or just scrape the skin off? _She would mix in a taste here and there, just an instant of flesh to flesh contact to refresh her as she casually passed by him. She had it down to a science.

Just to antagonize him further, she would walk close enough to let the fabric of her clothes brush against his skin and do nothing else. If he did not see her coming, he might yelp. If he did, the defiant stare would meet her hungry one.

If he was completely prepared-- and this was the greatest delight of them all-- he would bite back a scream and turn red in the face holding it in when she did feed for that glorious second. He was a true adversary and a delicious snack. She had been right- definitely worth the wait. She would have to find others with the Lantean gene or the arrogance or both when she reached Earth.

He was providing her with the most entertainment she had had in a very long time. She had perfected this game over the eons through trial and error. Too much, the snack would die too quickly. Too little, she would not get a satisfying taste and kill the snack too quickly in her greed. Other factors weighed in as well. Keeping the defiance strong enough for the enjoyment and not breaking the morsel so she grew bored and, once again, killed it too quickly. It was a tricky balance and one she enjoyed trying to achieve with him.

Nothing demanded her attention at the moment, so she could play her game with the utmost care and deliberate slowness. She could further feel him out, find his limits. Walking around the room, staying within eyesight, brushing him with her sleeve, and, finally, scratching him in the same spot over and over- those were the small tests to find the thresholds. He was proving a challenge.

She would wait for the taste, though. Deny herself that which she craved so when the time came; it was just that much sweeter. She loved the heartbeat racing under her palm and the little squirt of blood that preceded the pure life energy. Then at the end, the gasping and hard breathing were a thrill all their own. She had almost a full lunar cycle to do this to him. She was in a state of pure bliss.

He offered nuances no other had before. Take what he was doing now, singing.

"_I am the very model of a modern Major-General…"_

He sang badly from what she gathered from overhearing the other humans' comments.

"…_vegetable, animal and mineral."_

It was such an animal trait. But, humans had perfected it with such intricacies. The different songs seemed to elicit different emotions. Emotions were such a bother, but interesting. He sang silly inane songs and ones that seemed to carry more meaning, at least to him.

"_I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical…"_

There was one about a ring of fire. She was sure it must have been some superstitious twaddle about the Rings built by the Lanteans. Those rings however, looked more like liquid and not like a flame. She decided to go ahead and ask him about it.

"_With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse…"_

He stopped singing and gave her that defiant grin along with his answer, "It's a love song written by the singer's wife. But, you wouldn't know anything about love would you?" He looked her right in the eye when he said it.

She could deny herself no longer when the defiance was so very naked.

"No," she answered approaching him slowly. "We have no need for such base emotions," she concluded the conversation and leaned in to press her feeding hand hard enough to feel the give in his skeletal structure, but not enough to break his fragile ribs.

She took in a mouthful of air as she hemorrhaged just a little more life from him. The savory treat screamed deliciously in her ear as their cheeks almost touched. Her acute hearing protested the proximity to his loud vocal and physical distress, while her nerve endings did not mind at all. She ignored the pain.

Without pain, there is no life.

_Aah_, there was the gasping for air. Her hand dropped and she left her face close so he could feel the quick warm breaths tickle the fine hairs on her jaw and neck. The sensation was unreal.

Playing with your food presented many rewarding experiences and, yes, she was _very _good at it.

----------------

_A/N: Here bunny, bunny. Here rabbit! Oh they have found the tall grass and the Jacuzzi. Relax my little ones and enjoy. You have been working so hard._

_The opening line for John and the Queen's part is the inspiration of this story. What would happen if…sort of thing. The original plot I had for it just did not work so it morphed into this one and I had to keep that line because it was the catalyst for everything else. Plus, the Wraith females fascinate me to no end. Just thought you might like to know. _


	17. Ch 16: Who's In and Who's Out

Chapter 16

Who's In and Who's Out?

In his ceremonial robes, Teal'c stood outside of the Jaffa High Council's chambers. Waiting in the quiet hallway gave him time to reflect. The Tau'ri deserved help from them, but the High Council still had members who only saw to the ends of their noses. The Tau'ri had been the staunchest supporters of the Jaffa's bid for freedom. With their help, they had accomplished more than he thought possible. He felt all Jaffa owed Earth a debt of gratitude for that hard, earned freedom.

The moment O'Neill convinced him that he actually could help the prisoners escape from Apophis…Well, the Tau'ri had a saying: in for a penny, in for a pound. It had not been easy. Sometimes it was frustrating. Sometimes it was lonely. However, he never regretted his decision to give up everything and join O'Neill on Earth. And, he had come back even though O'Neill was no longer in charge.

"Ya think they'll help?" Mitchell asked while toeing some poor, unfortunate bug on the floor. The little critter would run in one direction until it reached his boot. Then, he would stop it so it would run in another, only for him to stop it again.

"If they know what is good for them," replied Teal'c watching the plight of the bug with mild interest.

"Damn, T. Whatchya gonna do, muscle 'em?" Mitchell grinned and continued his antagonizing of the beetle-type insect.

"Col. Mitchell, the Wraith desire human bodies as food. We are nothing more than enhanced humans. Therefore, we are, as you say, on the menu," he deadpanned. He put his foot on Mitchell's and let the beetle escape.

"Oh, well, yeah, there's that," shrugged Mitchell and watched forlornly as the beetle scampered under a stone vase. He grinned again. "Still, I'd like to see ya go in there and toss 'em around a bit." He threw a few mock punches for added emphasis.

Teal'c closed his eyes and prayed for patience. "Indeed."

"That's what I was waiting for…_and _you said it with the raised eyebrow," beamed Mitchell.

The chamber's doors opened and Bra'tac joined them in the hall. Blessedly, his arrival halted the conversation much to Teal'c's relief. Bra'tac held his hands clasped together and smiled at the two men.

"They basically have agreed to help. They realize the threat the Wraith represent to us all. A few assets need to be rearranged, but they will do everything possible to aid in this dire time."

Teal'c inhaled and exhaled loudly with a nod. "That is good."

"What exactly do you need?" Bra'tac asked looking between the two men.

"Firepower," stated Mitchell succinctly.

"Yes, that is understandable. Ground forces would be useless, am I correct? You will want to stop them before that-- in the air or in space?"

"Death Gliders and/or Al'kesh would be helpful. You're right; we want to stop them in the air. During a culling, they deploy some ground troops, but we don't even want it to come to that. The Hive is a flying city, they carry thousands of darts. It's comparable to a Mothership-- _now_, there's something we could use." Mitchell looked hopefully at the respected leader.

"Have you heard from any other allies?" The venerable warrior asked seemingly ignoring the request.

"Yes and no," replied Teal'c. "The Asgard are sending another to help on the Odyssey, but they are still reeling from the Replicators. The Tok'ra are absent as well."

"You guys're it!" Mitchell said with forced cheerfulness. "Atlantis sent all the information they had available at the time of the communication. Carter and Jackson are pouring over that and Merlin's cachet of goodies. So, how 'bout that Mothership?"

"I will return to chambers and give the request to the Council." Bra'tac took Cameron's hand and forearm and shook it. He did the same with Teal'c adding a slap on the back and a vigorous embrace.

"Thank you, old friend," Teal'c said with a smile and feeling.

"Thanks Master Bra'tac," said Mitchell.

"I will bring news before the end of the day after tomorrow." Bra'tac nodded and went back inside the chambers.

Teal'c and Mitchell started the walk back to the Gate.

"That went well."

"Indeed."

"Man! I love it when you say that!"

Teal'c raised the eyebrow and with second thoughts about that last decision to return, kept on walking.

----------------

A week had passed already. Radek and Rodney (from his infirmary bed) were scouring the data from Ixion. Carson said McKay was doing well and would be released in another day. Ronon and Lorne were already released to quarters and bed rest. Teyla had started sparring again and Haushaur and a few others that had been on Ixion were keeping Heightmeyer busy.

Weir looked at the desktop in front of her and let a smile play on her face. Col. Caldwell had never looked as happy as when he formally returned the operations of Atlantis to her control. He also gave her a bottle of prescription M and M's. He must have called in a lot of favors to get enough to fill the large bottle sitting on one corner of her desk. She had the feeling that something happened in her absence. Caldwell acted like he wanted to throw the bottle at her and haul ass out of the office instead of the formality he carried out.

She found out later why. After talking to a few of the techs on duty, they told a story of overly surly scientists making his life a living hell during her absence. She was sure Zelenka might have had a hand in it. She knew good and well that all lab assignments were handled through the team leaders. The M and M's might have been a peace offering to her and the scientists. A- _Look, she's back and I'm going over here to get out of your lives- _type of thing.

All new experiments and projects were still on hold until further notice. The safety of Earth was first and foremost. Everyone was working on it.

Besides Earth being in imminent danger, everything was pretty much running normally…well, not everything. She looked at the military duty roster sitting in front of her and sighed softly.

She let Caldwell have full reign. He would be in charge for a while. Lorne was out until he could sit in a chair for longer than five seconds. Since, Cadman was only a lieutenant, they needed the colonel at the post right now. He was the best choice.

She stared at the list. Sheppard's name had MIA next to it. She would not let it be changed to KIA until after the outcome of the Hive reaching Earth. There were too many with it next to their names: Cavanaugh, Jones, Welker and the list went on. She included those that lived on Ixion like: Dr. Hallidy and Lia. Although, Rodney would harrumph including her. Still, she would not give up hope on Sheppard, yet.

Her own insecurities raised their ugly little heads for a split second. Hindsight was always so sparkling clear. She should have left Lorne behind in Atlantis- or not. Would it have made a difference? Everything worked as it should have. Atlantis did not fall apart. Caldwell had it all under control. He relied on Cadman who also had to lead a team. Not to mention, the Daedalus had qualified personnel available…Her head spun and throbbed.

Since the system worked, it made everyone expendable- to a certain extent. Everything operated to the best outcome possible. There would always be questions. It was just unfortunate it had to work at all. Maybe Haushaur was not the only one who should be keeping Kate busy.

"Dr. Weir?"

Elizabeth looked up and motioned for the speaker to come in and sit. "Teyla."

"The burns on Dr. Zelenka and the rest of the team trapped in the lab seam to be healing nicely," she observed pleasantly as she sat down opposite of Elizabeth.

"So says Beckett, we were lucky." She folded her hands in front of her and smiled at Teyla. "How can I help you?"

"I think it is I who could help you." She returned Elizabeth's smile.

Elizabeth smirked before starting, "Eyes wide open. Is that how you approach your leadership roll as well?"

"Sometimes and sometimes we must close our eyes and take a step into the unknown."

"A leap of faith."

"I like that. Is that another of your sayings?" Teyla asked.

"A well known one. Surprised you haven't heard it before especially given the nature of our expedition."

"Perhaps I have and just did not understand the context. I have learned to tune out certain, shall we say, conversations between certain people."

Weir laughed, "I understand."

Teyla's gaze penetrated Elizabeth's carefully crafted, polite laughter. "You second guess yourself about if you made the right decisions."

"Am I so transparent?"

"Did the original mission end with the desired outcome?"

"I believe so…"

"You know so."

"Yes," replied Weir bashfully. She had been extremely successful at the negotiating table.

"Could we have done anything different with the information available to us?" Teyla paused, but continued before Elizabeth answered. "Col. Caldwell asked Ronon and Maj. Lorne if they noticed anything. Their answer was, no."

"But…"

"But, nothing. The Wraith had the upper hand before we even knew there was an upper hand. Now you must believe it." Teyla leaned towards the desk and her gaze made Elizabeth shift uncomfortably in her chair. "Col. Sheppard did not question and neither should you because everything was out of our control the moment we stepped foot on that planet."

"I know; that's the kicker. I've been over it and over it. I just needed to hear someone else say it. Someone who understands."

"Now you have heard it. Now believe it." Teyla sat back and checked her watch. "I think it is time for lunch. Let's go see what the chef has done with that recent shipment of berries."

"Teyla, you are wise beyond your years." Elizabeth flipped the roster face down on her desk, stood up and left her office.

Life goes on.

----------------

"Useless, useless, useless and useless," griped Rodney.

"Not useless. Nowhere near useless overbearing and pin-cushioned leader," snapped Zelenka. His still healing, red face met the tired, sunken-eyed face of McKay.

McKay repositioned himself to his side while looking at the laptop sitting on a bedside table. "Well Lobster Boy, none of this helps. It's all about the Cruiser. Sure, we know more about the inner workings and programming of that ship, but if it hasn't escaped your boiled and buttered brain, we need data on the Hive. Say, oh, I don't know; how to get the Asgard beam past their counter measures." He flipped onto his back disgusted and immediately grimaced. "Shit, shouldn't do that."

Zelenka snorted in agreement.

"Oh shut up." Sheppard had mentioned about the arbitrary shooting pains than happened for weeks afterwards. He just did not say how debilitating they were…high threshold…must have been. It was like a sciatic nerve pinch, but for a shorter amount of time and twice as sharp. You had to stop what you were doing, but it was over with quickly.

He was also recovering faster than Sheppard. He did not have to contend with the effects of blood loss or infections. He could not wait to get out of here and to start working in earnest. This was more an exercise to keep him occupied so he would not drive the medical staff insane- like they already weren't, not that it was his doing.

"Okay, we know a nuclear bomb will have the desired effect. We also know they can block our transporter beam…but their shields are pretty vulnerable to energy weapons…We've checked all directories…"

"No we haven't," corrected Zelenka.

"Yes, we have," insisted McKay.

"No, we haven't. We haven't checked this," Zelenka insisted as he pointed to a lone directory.

"We've checked all those that matter," said McKay, now extremely irritated. "That's about darts"

"You said that we'd checked everything, and we haven't. So…you….were…wrong." Radek leaned back in his chair and smugly grinned.

"Shut up, Radek," spat McKay rubbing his eyes.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!" Zelenka sang and pointed an accusing finger at McKay.

"Still useless, useless, useless, useless!" McKay sang back and pointed to the information on the screen.

He wanted to flip again, but stopped himself. They had gone over everything for too many hours, over too many days. Haushaur, when not in with Heightmeyer, had a team going over other parts of the download.

_Useless_.

He would keep going over it and over it and over it. Of course, he would go over their part too when Carson released him. This was just too important to leave to underlings.

_Utterly useless._

A team had even flown back to the lab to try and coax anything else out of the computer.

_Completely, utterly useless. _

The damn thing was partially fried, partially boiled and partially steamed. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, goose egg would be their findings.

They were getting it right up the ass.

"Maybe Haushaur will find something, or Simpson will find something with the original computer," offered Radek staring at him with something akin to compassion. _Oh no_, Rodney did not want the fuzz ball to feel sorry for him right at this moment.

"Riiight…and I'm the Queen Mother. They used the Cruiser on purpose so we couldn't compromise the Hive."

"I know," Radek solemnly agreed. He clicked open the last remaining directory. "Now we've checked everything," he said with some satisfaction.

McKay rolled his eyes. "Oh look, stuff we already know, more stuff and more…" His eyes widened. "Hold the phone, click that little sub-directory there."

"What? Are you mocking me?"

"No, just….just…oh, give it to me!" He snatched the laptop and sat up in the bed. His finger moved on the mouse pad. "I'm not mocking your vindictive, jealous and childish ways. I'm admiring your churlish need to try and one up me, because- thanks to you- we have the start of a plan!" Rodney grinned and turned the laptop around for Radek to see.

"No kissing," retorted Radek with his own grin. "You can thank me some other way."

"Shut…up and get Elizabeth on that headset of yours."

----------------

Orcas. The Queen was like Orcas, Shamu with her own type of cold water, splash zone. He had to give her her props; she was a damn good predator.

He had seen a special about Orcas on the Discovery Channel- a lazy, Saturday afternoon at the ass-end of the world. The pod was feeding offshore of a Mexican beach on tasty seals. They played with the poor, little bastards before eating them. Some of the behavior had been a lesson on hunting, but some, he could not help but think that humans were not the only cruel creatures on Earth. The spectacle had been vicious and on another level, funny. One whale flipped the victim in the air a number of times before finishing it off.

It really sucked to be the seal.

She liked to play this game, too. And, John knew that he was that little seal. His luck, he gets captured by the Wraith version of an adrenaline junkie.

The worst part was not even the feeding; it was the not knowing. Would the hand suck some time off before the sleep left his eyes or just a light, maddening touch to startle him awake?

He had a feeling he was losing this game. The rules were easy enough: stay sane and don't die. He would try his best.

The door to the room opened and John waited for his thrill-seeking mistress to stroll across the floor. He prepared himself for whatever her desires had devised. It was with a slight amount of relief when his caretaker entered instead. The hollow-eyed child crossed the room and started preparations for his morning bath. Maybe, he could convince her to help, even though something- in an Australian accent- told him _danger, danger_.

When she wiped his face, she whispered in his ear squashing any hope on that front, "You don't remember me. I've been watching you. You can't quite put me to a place, can you?" It wasn't the words; it was the way she said it. She was baiting him.

He did not answer. He followed her with his eyes while every hair on the back of his neck wanted to stand at attention.

"That's what I thought. Answers are about to come through that door."

She said nothing else and continued her duties until the door slid open. She submissively stepped out of his sightline and stood somewhere to his left. The Queen regally entered and crossed immediately to him. "I've brought company," she stopped within inches of his face and sighed, "You are not a main meal, just a diversion, a treat."

Her eyes flickered with mischief. He was the lizard to her cat.

"Today, I sustain myself more substantially."

Drones walked in with a man, a very large man. A very large man he knew. It was not a hallucination; it was Bose.

His eyes flashed to were he guessed the girl stood. The face clicked into place from a little party held in his and McKay's honor.

_Holy mother of crap, she's one of Papa Jae's daughters, _he thought

Deep howling realigned his attention to the center of the room. She fed on the son of a bitch with such flair he realized the game had gone up to the next level. Insanity definitely would be a close personal friend by the time she was tired of playing with her little seal, mouse, lizard, whatever.

When she finished, the drones took the corpse away.

"No need for dessert, this time…but maybe later." The Queen left her room and the girl followed throwing him a cold glance over her shoulder.

Oh, this made it that much better. He had been on Ixion. He hoped that son of a bitch Jae had already met the Queen…he could not help it. He really hoped that Jae was of no further threat, even if it meant that the daughter was probably going to exact some sort of revenge. Well, why really? What more could she do?

The Queen had to know that he knew Bose. She had chosen him to hurt the girl and to prove to him she could do just about anything she wanted.

She was proving to him that she was the master of his universe.

There can be only one.

The master of her domain.

Well, he wanted to slap a C-note down and say he was out.

Orcas. Cunning predators. The girl may not know it, but she was in the game too.

He wished he could lie down and take a nap. A nice long nap of the dead. Even though the specialized cocoon supported him and he was numb all over, he was already so tired. His muscles ached in that _you sat on your foot for too long and it hurts as the blood starts flowing again _sort of way.

There would be no help from Jae's daughter. There would be no help, period. Yes, he was already losing the game. He knew it.

And, John was tired of playing games.

-----------------

_A/N: Hope your still with me. This is a long one I know. The counter says people are reading, the bunnies know you're there. I thank you. This is the first time I've included SG-1 and hope I got them sort of right._


	18. Ch 17: This Is the Way We

Chapter 17

This Is the Way We…

"What're the problems we're facing?" Rodney asked a packed conference room from his wheelchair.

"Wraith dining on my sister and her kids?" Dr. Dupree offered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, and we don't want your sister or her kids to even know that the Wraith exist. Keep the planet and its inhabitants in the dark."

"We need to buy time once they're out of hyper-space," furthered Caldwell.

"Exactly, we need to buy time so that we can nullify their jamming of the Asgard beam technology. If we make the attempt to retrieve everybody off the Hive ship and hopefully, rescue Sheppard…We are still trying to do that, right?"

"It would be a humiliating blow to the Wraith if humans retrieved a Hive ship's herd. We can make sure they know we did such a deed and can do it again," interjected Ronon with a pleased snarl.

Satisfied the answer was yes, McKay rightly restated, "Thus, the need for time."

Teyla kept quiet. She would not comment on what they would find with the victims, including Sheppard, once they were retrieved. With so many weeks on a Hive ship, the incarceration and the restraint in a small cell would exact a price. Though, retrieving them all-- Ronon was right, it would be a taunt at the Wraith, without question.

One of the many concerns she had for those on the ship was: once released, where would the people go? They could not stay on Earth or Atlantis or any planet in the Pegasus Galaxy for any amount of time. The Wraith may start to double check worlds to see if any humans had re-inhabited them. They may still end up on another Hive ship, right back in the same predicament. She would bring it up at the next meeting, now was a time to let hope grow.

"We've had in our possession a little device that we've been trying to modify for the Jumpers. The opportunity to use it has just not come up. Plus, since the Jumpers can cloak, it's like the Department of Redundancy Department. But, it does provide us with a couple of different options."

Rodney was excited in that _I-know-how-to-save-all-our-pitiful-lives-once-again _sort of way. She trusted that excitement and knew without a doubt, he had a viable plan already formulated in his brain.

"According to the data and our own observations, the Wraith dart is a versatile craft. It's the family station-wagon picking up take-out. It's the Fed Ex truck delivering supplies. And, finally, it's the troop carrier transferring Wraith from point A to point B." He smugly looked around the room as people whispered to one another and nodded in agreement.

"You want us to steal a dart and infiltrate the ship?" Weir asked.

"While one of the many theories bandied about the last couple of days, no. And we saw how well that went the last time." Rodney pulled up a schematic of a Hive ship on the large screen. "As I said, time…tick tock. We need to get those people off and destroy that ship before Billy Joe Bob reports to CNN about the strange lights in the sky."

"Please, oh gifted and glorious leader, let us in on your brilliance," goaded Radek.

Rodney glared sourly, "Oh like you're not just as excited that we-- you opened that directory."

Radek motioned him to move on with his hand and smiled mischievously back.

Rolling his eyes as well as his wheelchair, Rodney continued, "In order for the darts to conduct their business and prove they are part of that Hive, they must broadcast codes to the ship. I guess the Queens don't want just any old thing being transported aboard since they're infighting at this time. The codes for that Hive ship were included in that directory. Unfortunately, the codes are only for that particular Hive so they won't transfer. Maybe in future events, they will lead us to an algorithm to eventually stop their scrambling of the transporter beam." Even with his last qualifying statement, he was the Cheshire cat and a peacock with spread tail feathers rolled into one.

"You can thank my esteemed colleague over there for his jealous, one-upmanship." Rodney pointed to Zelenka. "Without him, we would never have found the codes. . . Well, maybe, we would have after a great deal of time and energy had been expended on fruitless searches of the other portions of the database…"

"Rodney, focus," gently commanded Weir as Radek took some deep bows to polite clapping.

"As I was saying, the device will give us time to stall as our snake incubating allies lend a hand. We have the means, we have the brains, and we have the technology. Go team!" Rodney said a little too manically.

"This is all still very rough. We need an actual working plan by the end of the week so we can relay it to the SGC." Caldwell looked at McKay with begrudging admiration. "Still, this is the best news in a while, Dr. McKay."

"Well _yeah_." McKay rolled to the table. "We have a pseudo-plan in the works. It includes some of the spare parts form Atlantis Part Deux and lots of duct tape. Zelenka will coordinate with you on what we have so far."

"If all else fails, we have the nuclear weapon to fall back on, right Rodney?" Weir asked from her position at the center of the table.

"If they don't realize who's sending the codes, yes. They, unfortunately, aren't that stupid. We still don't have the frequency of the scrambler. We'll get only one chance to do this. The bomb may not be an option if we try to rescue the others. It's an all or nothing kind of thing."

"I believe that I can help with that decision," Teyla said softly, but adamantly.

"How so?" Caldwell leaned forward across the table to see her around Weir.

"I connect with the Wraith as they exit. I can ascertain Col. Sheppard and the other humans' locations aboard the ship. I can let you know if it is an option to save them or…or leave them." She hated saying that last part and could feel the feathers ruffling around her. She really did not want to bring up viability at the moment, but the questions forming on lips and glares aimed at her were making it nearly impossible. "Do you want those that are so close to death or in such pain to linger? There is no cure for a feeding, better to die quickly on a ship than linger in a bed for weeks."

It felt like a decision she had already had to make not too long ago-- kill for the good of all or not?

"Let's have a plan for both. If Teyla says rescue, then we rescue. If she says destroy, then we destroy. Of course, first, we must get permission for you to travel to Earth." Weir looked at Caldwell. "Sound good to you?"

Caldwell nodded. "We can surely come up with plans for both."

Weir looked at the people in the room, "Okay, let's make this happen."

----------------

She rarely visited the bridge. For this, she would. "Release the module," she ordered the male at the console.

This was a first. Her kind had never left this galaxy. They had never had the opportunity or the technology, whether fostered by her kind or acquired by other means, to do it. Now the other ends of the universe were within her reach, expanding the feeding ground to infinite worlds.

The module would broadcast a message to the nearest Hive about the fate of the Lantean city/ship. She had almost included the plans for its star drive. She could not help but be a little vindictive. She decided to let the ones that intercepted the message to acquire that knowledge for themselves. Let them work as hard as she had for their own greatness.

Of course, that was contingent on her failure. If her Hive ship did not pass this way again, the module was set to automatically broadcast.

No, she would return with the good news. How could she fail?

Her ship had dropped out of hyper-space to leave the beacon at the edge of a lonely solar system. Open space was her next destination.

"Re-engage the engines."

Her official duties concluded; it was now time to pick out something for dinner, something aged to start with. She would vary her selections to test what his reactions were. She had to allow time for recuperation between her feedings on him. Timing was everything. The need to draw it out and deliver the death blow at the exact right moment was essential. Choose the time where he finally wallowed in despair. A time when all fire was extinguished and the knowledge his world was doomed pinnacled into a darkness she would slurp in enjoyment.

She was the first to come this far, the first to leave the ancestral feeding grounds. The Great Awakening was thought a legend, now they were at the beginning of it and foresight had been lacking. Not enough food to sustain them all. She was leading her Hive to its salvation and enjoying every moment of it.

When she reached her private stock, her personal steward met her. Together they made the selection that might make the greatest impact. It was another member of her little helper's previous household. She was enjoying both fronts of her game.

Making sure the girl remained in the room when she fed on anyone she might know was satisfying in another way. The child thought she had hidden her motives. She thought the whispers in his ear went unnoticed. How wrong the child was. The Queen knew everything that went on in her ship and acute hearing was a gift in her kind. Breaking the girl was just a side distraction, and she did not have to make the entire trip.

Her other toy was the only one left on board to witness for his planet. She wanted him alive until another could take his place.

She also had work to do, questions to ask. But that was for tomorrow. Today was for gluttonous amusements; to hemorrhage a little more of everything they had to give.

She entered the room and heard the last whispered invectives in his captive ear.

"They will decide your life and death. But, know this, our Queen won't live to see your planet."

Devious little girl, that one. The Queen felt the thrill of the hunt spike in her breast and growl of anticipation in her throat. The old one from the devious little thing's planet was on today's menu, but tomorrow or the next day…her time would come.

----------------

"We have a yes? They can send ships, armaments and troops for the battle?" Mitchell asked excited, yet wary. The Council usually did not do things so quickly. They had a particular fondness for quibbling.

"They have arranged for Death Gliders to be born by one Ha'tak. Two squadrons of Al'kesh, pilots, and troops to man all ships are also being diverted this way. The Wraith will not get anywhere near the planet. You have the vow of the Jaffa." Master Bra'tac struck his breast plate with the oath.

Mitchell had to agree that sounded great. He thought that he and Teal'c would have to do a few more visits to the Council.

"On behalf of everyone, and I include those that haven't the faintest clue you exist, thank you," Landry said with a complimentary smile.

"Atlantis has sent a rough draft of a plan. They also have recommended a few objectives. It all depends on our newest member of the Odyssey crew, Ullr. Hopefully, he will be able to get the beam to do what McKay requested it to do," Carter gestured towards the Asgard sitting across from her next to Emmerson.

"I will not transport an explosive device on board unless it is absolutely necessary. Meaning, that there are no other options left." The Asgard blinked those huge eyes at Gen. Landry.

"Well Ullr, we were hoping to avoid that anyway, the prospect of fallout and what not. We were just hoping to blow them to hell the old-fashioned way," he replied, not phased in the least by the Ullr's tone.

"Yeah, big ass guns from a friendly Ha'tak." Mitchell grinned at the little grey skinned alien. He had gotten used to the nakedness, but those eyes made him real uneasy. The eyes condescended to what the little squirt must have been thinking were nothing more than bright monkeys. In other words, the human race.

"Very well. The modifications should be easy enough." Ullr looked at each person and beamed himself back to the Odyssey without another word.

"Abrupt little guy," commented Emmerson.

"You'll get used to it," Landry replied. "He's all yours."

"Thank you sir."

"We do need to decide if this is a rescue operation or not." Carter squinted; Mitchell could tell she really did not want to play devil's advocate.

"Well, my vote's rescue," Mitchell pursed his lips and raised his hand in the air.

"Sentimentally, that's my vote too, Colonel."

"I hear a big _but _coming, General."

Landry snorted, "You're correct. We can't afford to have any, and I mean any, Wraith darts make it anywhere near the atmosphere."

"That's what's nice about the preliminary plans Atlantis sent. They want Col. Sheppard back, but their first concern is Earth."

"Alright, let's study what they are proposing, see if it can be done and get it going."

"Yes sirs" echoed from around the table and everyone stood up to leave. "Carter, a minute." Landry motioned her over as the others filed out.

Mitchell left looking over the rough strategies sent during the last communication and started adding a few of his own. They were depending on the Death Gliders to swarm like the darts seem to be capable of doing. Their F-302 squadrons were too few in number but together…Additionally, the Al'kesh would be a nice bonus surprise. From what he gathered, they did not know about the Ha'taks. Of course, with Col. Sheppard in their salivating hands, that could have changed. They still had a chance to pull their fat out of the frying pan. Yep, the day was looking sunnier-- even if they were underground.

----------------

Landry had wanted to know if she thought rescue was truly an option. She wanted it to be so badly since thousands were trapped alive on that ship. It must be a nightmare existence.

Carter walked the hall back to her little hole in the mountain. She had to grudgingly admit, she was impressed that McKay had come up with an imaginative solution. He was exploring avenues that he never would have a few years ago.

The little spoiled brat had grown into a…He had grown into a spoiled brat of a man. Yet, his concern for others was touching. McKay had obviously changed during his time on Atlantis. He had a teammate on that ship and he had a plan to save the others as well. He had learned how it feels to lose a friend and desperately want them back. She stopped walking for a second-- he had friends. That was something that surprised her and had to surprise him as well.

Of course, that's why the outright destruction plan was more clinical and precise in description. It must have been hard to write-up. More proof of the man's change in disposition.

She had also seen the reports on his experience in the Wraith chair. He had resisted for as long as possible. She had to agree with Weir on that one. When he broke, he tried to confuse the Wraith as much as possible. It would be strange seeing this new man in a few days, especially now that he knew the meaning of the word team.

"Col. Carter!"

Sam stopped and turned to face a short of breath Dr. Lee.

"I have all the information on the satellites."

"Good. Let's run some simulations and see if this has a chance in hell of working."

If it did not, they would have to come up with something else and that prospect was frightening. Time was shrinking. As it stood, the plan would involve a little interference with cell phones and TV signals, but overall, the everyday, average Joe, armchair quarterback would not even notice a thing. Or, at least, she hoped not. The thought of a Wraith entering someone's living room during the Stanley Cup made her shiver.

Earth remained in the dark about things extra-terrestrial, and for right now, that was the way it was going to stay.

"You realize we're guessing from what direction that the Hive ship'll exit hyper-space. That, if they exit on the other side, we're going to be scrambling with the ruse." Dr. Lee opened his laptop and called up the information they needed.

"We have to leave a few things up to chance. I think we can maneuver all assets into place quickly. They should get a real warm Earth welcome from wherever they exit. Anyway, the long range sensors should give us a timely heads-up."

Daniel joined them about an hour later. "There's nothing useful in the artifacts from Merlin's cave. There might be, but nothing that we'll figure out in the next week. I'll keep looking though. How's it going here?"

Carter looked up from the monitor, "We're getting ready to boggle the enemy with our resourcefulness once more."

"Oh, so nothing new?"

After shooting him a semi-serious, caustic glare, she went back to work making balloons out of satellites.

----------------

_A/N: Little bunnies love the cake and chocolate and …Hey, get away from my beer! I've got this story almost finished. Normally, I have a story ¾'s written before I post it. Sorry, this one I didn't but it's been a blast to play with._

_If I'm losing you, let me know. If I'm not, let me know. Thanks to everyone reading and/or reviewing. Summer's almost here, so time is on my side, and hopefully, quicker updates._


	19. Ch 18: Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose!

Chapter 18

Duck, Duck, Duck…Goose!

"Try it now!" McKay yelled over the din of noise in the Jumper bay. It was unnecessary as the major pointed out.

"_Doctor, the radio can pick your voice up even if you speak in a normal tone."_

"Oh, sorry, yeah that makes sense since my mouth is right here and the other noise is over there…" He scrubbed his face with his hand. No sleep and no sleep make Rodney…make Rodney forget what he should be doing.

"Try it now," he said in a normal voice over the din of noise in the Jumper bay.

"_Engaging alternate cloak," _Warren relayed as the Jumper disappeared, as it should.

"Excellent," Rodney said unenthusiastically as he kept an eye on power utilization. "Shut it off. Let's keep it moving folks, next experiment."

The Jumper reappeared, as it should.

"It looks like it will give us at least twenty minutes before it shorts out and showers anyone standing near it with sparks," observed Zelenka as he watched the same little computer screen.

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting too. We just don't have the time to completely repair it. If I can find any spare time when we get to Earth and the Wraith give us fair warning and…"

"We still have to create connections and directions for the cloak to interact with our software and hardware," said Zelenka cutting McKay off.

"That's what the next phase is for," replied a weary McKay. The cloak was scavenged from a Puddle Jumper from the other Atlantis. They had it hot-wired to one of their Jumpers to see if it still worked. Obviously, it did. Rodney rested his head on top of the laptop.

"You need to sleep. Nor, are you fully recovered."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead or when you don't need my expertise on everything." Rodney walked to a different laptop hooked up to a device that defied all logic. It should not work with the crazy alien construction. Thing looked like it was made with bailing wire and tape, the bumble bee of electronics. He was not kidding about using duct tape to keep this plan together.

"Turning on cloaking projector, now," he pressed the keyboard with a dramatic and heavy punch. "Beautiful baby," Rodney looked at the shimmering projection in place of the Jumper. "Is it broadcasting, Radek?"

"Yes, it sure is."

The image decided to waver and distort into a mess of pixels. "Refine! Tune! Sharpen! Do something!"

"I am!" Zelenka yelled as the image twisted and blurped until it finally went back to its normal shape.

They exchanged satisfied looks. "The interface had a short." Zelenka held up more duct tape. "I fixed it though."

Perturbed but not overly, Rodney clapped his hands. "OK people, next step a full size recreation on the Daedalus!"

Everyone picked up cords, computers and any other equipment necessary for transfer to the ship.

"Major Gruman, uh hi, we are preparing to move everything over there to do the final testing. Is Hermiod ready?"

"_Yes Dr. McKay, we are ready to receive you."_

"Give us about fifteen minutes and that should do it, McKay out."

"_Understood, Gruman out."_

McKay sat down for just one little second. Radek shook his shoulder ten minutes later. "We can do this Rodney. You go to your room now or I call Ronon to carry you there."

"I'm good, really."

"Yes, snoring is normal when one is good. Go, I will update you when you wake up."

McKay scrubbed his face, yet again, and stood up gingerly. "Maybe I'll just go catch a couple of winks and then join you…"

"Ronon, this is Dr. Ze…"

"Going, going. Sheesh Radek." McKay stopped and turned around. "Don't hesitate to call if you should…"

"Please come to the Jumper bay…"

The door shutting was Zelenka's answer. Rodney must have been so tired he did not even notice that Radek had never activated his radio. "People are so easily manipulated," Radek mumbled before turning around and yelling orders to those left in the bay.

----------------

"Ronon, Teyla, permission granted." Weir gave them both a congratulatory smile from behind her desk.

"Thank you Dr. Weir, I thought it would take a little more cajoling."

"Gen. Landry agrees that you should be there for the Hive's arrival. You and Ronon are both definite assets against the Wraith. Plus, John might need a friendly face when he…" Her face sobered as she sat down. "Dr. Beckett, Rodney, Stackhouse with his team, and anyone they need to take with them will be heading to Earth."

"We will do what needs to be done," Ronon rumbled from behind Teyla. "Anyway, I've wanted to check out the televisions. They sound very interesting,"

"I know you will Ronon and I hope you get to checkout more than just television. You leave in three days." Weir smiled at her desk. "I envy you, but I can't go with you. Once there, it might be a while before you come back."

"We understand Dr. Weir. We are prepared for an extended visit."

Ronon and Teyla exited the office with grim smiles on their faces.

"I've been curious about their world since the Mist planet," commented Teyla as Ronon and she crossed the catwalk. They stopped and looked at the Stargate.

"It sounds dangerous, wonderful and strange," observed Ronon when they started walking again. He skipped every other step as they descended the stairs. "Can't wait to see some of it, if they let us."

"That would be nice. I also want it be with the same guide I had last time."

"But you weren't really there."

"I know, but it seemed wondrous. You must see their shopping malls. The market place on Belkan is small in comparison."

"On Sateda, we had indoor markets that took up entire city blocks."

"Then you will, no doubt, fit right in." They entered the mess hall and stood in line. After filling their trays, they sat down at a far table.

"You don't think he'll be alive, do you?" Ronon asked as he shoved some potatoes in his mouth.

"He will be alive, it is just…" She put her fork down. "What state of alive, I am not sure."

"He's strong Teyla, he adapts."

"But weeks Ronon. Weeks with them doing…I cannot allow him to suffer anymore than he already has."

Ronon smoldered and answered with anger his voice, "Do not give up on him yet. Give him the chance. If anything, he's a survivor and you know it. They allowed you to see possible outcomes, not actual outcomes. The Wraith believe we're animals for the picking. They use fear to further our submission to their hunger. Let's show them that we can fight back and win."

She picked up her fork and ate her own mashed potatoes. "I will give him that chance. You are right, because he will take it. He will spit at them until the very end."

----------------

John found out when you name, rank and serial number the Wraith long enough, they punch you- hard. He spat blood at the male's (henceforth, to be known as Linus) face.

"How very _human _of you," John responded with a dark grin. He had that one saved for a special occasion. Best insult he could come up with while his head was ringing.

The male hissed at him as the Queen (Lucy) stood back and appraised the situation. John spat more blood from where his teeth had met the inside of his cheek. While it was hard, Linus must have pulled his punch because his jaw did not feel like it was in a thousand tiny pieces. Also, he could talk, which was another good clue of it being in one piece and on its hinge.

They wanted more information on allies, enemies, weapons- anything that would greet them upon exiting hyper-space. Her formal interrogation technique of mind manipulation only annoyed John. For whatever reason, he could resist, not easily, but he could resist. That really pissed her off. Hence, the more _human _interrogation techniques.

She gestured to the male with her head and he stood in front of John.

"Tell me about your offensive weapons."

"Lieutenant Col…"

Linus sunk both sets of claws into John's chest.

"How many ships does your world have?"

With the shock of ten, sharp, clawed fingers sinking into his skin, he missed the question and did not answer. The claws twisted and he howled as already torn flesh tore a little more.

"Who has the teleportation technology?" Lucy gestured to Linus. He pulled each finger out, one at a time.

"Lieu…Lieu…"

"Enough! I would have been disappointed if you had answered. I might have had to kill you."

_Now she tells me._

"Does not matter, I have my own ways of testing defensive and offensive preparations of the herd."

Sheppard just stared hatefully at the both of them. They weren't waiting for answers, just asking the questions and using him as a scratching post. Linus open palmed him across the face as a parting shot while Lucy activated her personal HUD. John spat more blood out of his mouth and looked at the screen. He had a bad feeling that she had something already planned. His session was just the warm-up.

As he looked at the screen and at her, he inwardly smiled. It had taken awhile, but he had finally come up with the names for his mistress of the dark and her flunky. Elvira was too good- Morticia or Lily, too nice. Lucretia popped in there and he went with that. He shortened it to Lucy and decided for her second in command that Linus was a good fit. The crazy Van Pelt siblings became his hosts.

Where were Chuck and that damned football? Oh that's right, his little caretaker could be the bald headed kid. The ball would be getting jerked away from her anytime now. He saw how Lucy toyed with her as well.

The blue glow of hyper-space abruptly stopped streaming and a little blue planet hung in the inky blackness. Through the haze of pain, tears, and snot, he stared at the little marble comprised of mostly water. He looked at the land masses and could not help but wonder…Had they been in space long enough to reach Earth already?

His stomach clenched and he felt a cold knot in the pit of it. He did not have a clue as to time or place and really did not know if enough time had passed or not. He also realized that he had never seen Earth from orbit. He had circled so many alien worlds, but Earth was not one of them. Panic threatened to overcome him. Was there anything he could do to thwart this? Nothing was coming to mind.

With Lucy's regal, permission granting nod, Linus released the darts. They filled the screen like a swarm of locust bent on the destruction of a crop of corn. It was truly an apocalyptic scene. All it needed was frogs raining down out of the heavens and cats and dogs living in sin.

John Sheppard waited for something to come to the rescue. Little ships, big ships, medium ships, anything to appear and destroy this royal witch's flock of death. He waited, hoped and prayed, but nothing came to stop them. The panic finally choked him and he vainly tried to remove himself from the cocoon.

_Where is everybody?_

She turned to look at his foolhardiness and smiled.

----------------

"The Al'kesh will target the star drive," instructed Mitchell. "Of course, the Death Gliders and F-302's will intercept the darts."

"The Ha'tak will coordinate with the Odyssey where Dr. McKay and I'll be," added Carter.

General Landry nodded while listening to each piece of the plan. Slowly but surely, it was coming together. Atlantis had access to technology to swing the advantage in their favor. Having allies on their end helped to pad it further.

"If ground forces do get through, they will try and secure the Stargate. They have the ability to dial one up like the Puddle Jumpers can. Fortunately for us, we're under ground and most likely out of range beneath a few miles of rock." Mitchell leaned back in the chair.

"We have more troops on the way to secure Cheyenne and all points of interest. All Earth bound allies have been updated on this crisis. We'll have to deal with the fallout over this afterwards, but nothing new about that situation," Landry said to the entire room.

"Our preparations are ready. Just waiting for the contingent from Atlantis to get here so we can make our theories a reality," said Carter with a little smile.

His people had been working hard exploring every avenue in hopes that it would lead to an even better solution.

Before they could continue the briefing, a much frazzled Sgt. Harriman poked his head into the conference room before stepping all the way in. By the look on the man's face, Landry knew he was about to have another "oh shit" moment.

"General Landry, sorry to interrupt. The Wraith are attacking."

_Oh shit._

----------------

_A/N: Thanks for the vote of confidence. As other authors state, it really does help. It's Summer break and the kiddies are out so hopefully I can get this story finished before school starts up again. That was a joke...I hope._

_The bunnies frolic in the meadows and...ooh, that hawk just took one. Ouch._


	20. Ch 19: Be a Dear and Pick Out Something

Chapter 19

Be a Dear and Pick Out Something Nice, Would You?

The smell of laundry on the line was a guilty pleasure, a smell to be enjoyed that was for sure. Joben's bright sun blazed down and the breeze gave everything a fresh, crisp feel- like the laundry. Tykah removed the wash from the line like she did every afternoon after devotions. Doing others' wash helped to pay for food and clothes for her three children. Ever since a Prior took away her husband and her world, she somehow had to make ends meet in this new home.

They had not been here long. Finding safe havens was increasingly problematic. The Priors with their rigid ultimatums visited more and more worlds. Little could be done to stop them. A few victories had reached her ears, but more often than not, failures ending with the annihilation of another civilization were the norm. She refused to lose hope, yet.

She gazed at her youngest playing nearby with small spherical stones. She flicked a large one at the smaller ones sending them scattering around a circle drawn in the dirt. An old game passed down for generations. The child turned her face up at her and a quizzical, innocent expression crossed it. She quietly asked, "Mama, what's that?" She pointed towards the sun in the sky.

Tykah placed her hand over her brow to block out the sunlight and squinted trying to make out the tiny shapes hidden in it. "I don't know Miza. Go get your brother and sister."

The child ran off as the swarm of…They were ships and they were heading their way. _Not again, please not again. _

"Miza! Miza! Get in the house! Get in the house!"

The insect whine of the first ship sped overhead and released a beam of light that raked the ground. Miza running as fast as her little legs could carry her disappeared before Tykah's eyes.

Screaming, Tykah ran even harder towards the house. "Rein! Shukie!" She had to find her other two children before another ship appeared.

To her horror, they ran out of the barn carrying clothes and into a beam. Keening and wailing for her lost babies, she dropped to her knees and pleaded with the sun and stars to give her her children back. The whine of yet another ship in the blotched sky came from behind her. She had nothing left in this life and waited to join the rest of her family.

In her sorrow, she took no notice of the screams of others sharing the same fate.

----------------

He had trusted them to have a defense ready. The SGC, Atlantis, Rodney-- someone to have the ships lined up and ready to go, and to give this…this prehistoric bitch a come to Jesus moment.

A handful of ships finally appeared on the screen. He silently cheered them on as they started a dog fight. He recognized them as Goa'uld fighters and a larger ship whose name escaped him at the moment. Alvin? Alkaline? Al-something or other. It occurred to him that this was not Earth. A sense of relief flooded through him and guilt sprang to its side as he realized some other unfortunate planet in his home galaxy was the first stop.

"So many thousands," Lucy said breathlessly. "And your world holds more?" The gleam of greed in her eyes was unmistakable.

The Hive and a few darts dispatched the pitiful number of ships after only a few minutes of air time. The pilots did not stand a chance with the sheer, overwhelming number of Wraith. His heart sank into the mire and despair skirted around it.

He blandly replied, "Lieutenant Col…"

"Yes, so you have said, repeatedly."

She looked at the entrance of her sanctum and the gleam deepened. One of the Jasons brought in a boy of about twelve. Lucy had been feeding on people in front of him for days now. Young adults to old crones were marched in only to wither and die before him. He started to give them names from old TV shows. It was easier to remember each and everyone of them, proof of their existence, a memorial for their sacrifice.

He had started with Little House on the Prairie- Paw Ingalls, Maw Ingalls, Laura, Albert and so on. He moved to the Dukes of Hazzard next. The young woman had truly been a Daisy, the shorts and FMP's would have looked great on her. He had also seen a definite Betty when he was on the Flintstones. The red-haired Wilma was just as defiant as she should have been. All gone, like the shows. All of them had been adults. Change was in the air now that she had brought in a pubescent.

At the moment, he was assigning names from the Waltons. Reserving John Boy for himself (obviously), this kid reminded him of Jim Bob. He had an inkling why she chose such a young victim. His outburst in the other cocoon must have given her ideas. Should have kept his emotions close and his big mouth shut; should not have let her have anything to use against him.

To his credit, the boy stood straight and tall. Fear was in his eyes and Sheppard could tell that he was not too far from shaking in his boots, but he handled it better than most. "I am Rein of the free Jaffa. You do not scare me."

The boy-- no, young man might not have been shaking, but Sheppard had a constant tremor now. It increased when the adrenaline started flowing at the sight of the planet. It spiked with a little more ferociousness since the kid walked into the room.

"Your galaxy offers such delights." She addressed the comment to Sheppard completely ignoring the boy's statement. "The Prometheus is a lie, is it not? There are no ships or just one similar to the one that defended the city during the battle."

That got Sheppard's attention. She was there, at Atlantis. It started to order in his mind how she had come by the blue prints for the engines. He was digging big holes on a planet and playing with Kolya while she plotted the first or second or third attack against Atlantis. A lone dart had scanned the city as he played moleman and she had reaped the benefits. He recognized her now as an old enemy, not a new one.

"The one called McKay told me many things while he…was interrogated." She stopped and watched his reaction. He did not give her one. "He informed me of the Asgard and their battle cruisers. Their transporter technology, and of the Goa'uld and their ships and armaments. But the Prometheus, something seemed flawed. A lie, perhaps. The chair…"

_The chair, they put McKay in that chair. _He wanted to be sick.

She smiled because of his reaction. Wide eyed and trembling, John's color leeched from his face as he watched her circle teenager. "The _chair _extracted the location of Earth, your pitiful defenses and some of your so-called allies."

The young man continued to stand straight and tall, but his eyes never left her except when she walked behind him. She stopped as she stepped out of his eyesight and laid her feeding arm over his shoulder. "Tell me who will be there and what will they bring to the feast, or he is my next meal."

John hated that science class skeleton-style grin she gave. He hated himself for what he was about to not do. There was a special place in hell for people like her and he was going to have a nice warm corner there as well. He stared at a point past the Queen and her salad. There were a billion or more kids on Earth like this one. He'd be damned if he was going to make it easy for her to suck them dry as well.

And to be honest, he was still learning about the Goa'uld especially after Caldwell's encounter. He knew about how the Jaffa had taken over Goa'uld modes of transportation…

He stopped his mental discourse. Lucy did not know about the Jaffa. She kept asking about the Goa'uld. Rodney gave her the Prometheus and the Goa'uld, that slick bastard. She would not expect any assets of the Goa'uld to aid Earth. He hoped that the kid's free Jaffa statement went unnoticed or misunderstood.

He looked Rein right in the eye. This kid was from a warrior class and thought he knew the meaning of sacrifice. He was about to find out. Sheppard knew Lucy well enough; she was going to drain this kid of his twelve years whether he answered or not. Another gauge on her twisted game, another pawn. Sheppard might be tired of games, but he had to keep playing.

"If those few ships are all the Goa'uld have…"

"We are not…"

"Intimidated," finished Sheppard quickly. He gave his best shut-up look. The boy returned the look with confusion, and then a minor understanding.

"We are not intimidated," Rein corroborated Sheppard's statement.

"If that is the best they have to offer…" She looked at the back of Rein's head and then at Sheppard. Her tangerine eyes full of delight. "…the best this galaxy can do, let us take what is ours!"

The HUD magnified all darts full of fresh food returning to the ship. After several minutes, the blue glow of hyperspace returned.

"It was a good haul and our hold is full. Yet, in all the excitement, I almost forgot…" She spun Rein to face her, reared her hand back and ate. She walked his shocked body backwards until she crushed what was left into the wall next to Sheppard.

Something broke in Sheppard as he heard the bones crack. With the youthful scream, the tears, and the knowledge he could do nothing about it, he disassociated himself. He was a wall ornament listening in on the world around him. The old portrait of Uncle So-and-So eavesdropping on the dirty little secrets that went on behind closed doors.

To his shame, he had sacrificed this kid and was prepared to do it again. He would give her nothing more on Earth. She had everything she was going to get, at least from him; which was nothing. Rodney had given her enough misinformation and anything he said might counteract it. Even though his tremors remained, the rest of him calmed and hyper-focused on a pulsating point across the room. His heart beat in his ear and his mouth went dry as he heard the frail little body collapse with a soft thud on the floor. Emotions spent, he stared ahead at the spot across the room. This definitely trumped Count Chocula and the spoon.

Flexing her hand, she strolled back over to him. "I was right, not enough." Her claws sank into already lacerated flesh and the maw cut into its usual spot.

He was ready for her and bit back the scream. His face reddened as she held on a second or two longer than normal. Her hair tickled his nose as she leaned in bending his ribs to the point of breaking before releasing him.

For a moment, he was sure this was it. And, that was all right, even preferred. No such luck, though.

Through the shock and heaving breaths of air, he spied Osy standing in the doorway vacantly waiting for the Queen to finish. The look might have been vacant, but rage flowed under the surface. The wheels turned and she had her own preparations mentally underway in her brain.

"I hope all offspring of your world are that succulent." Lucy grabbed him on either side of the face so as to have his full attention. The contact was too intimate. She had no right to touch him like that. "Next stop, Earth."

----------------

"They should have warned us!" An old grizzled woman yelled at the Council. "The Tau'ri are only looking out for themselves!"

Bra'tac closed his eyes searching for patience. "Warned us of what? That the Wraith were on their way here? Is that not what they've already done?"

"They did not tell us they would stop and attack one of our planets!" The old member yelled back.

"So many worlds, they only knew that the Hive ship was heading for Earth." Bra'tac turned in a circle to address each member.

"Dur'mok is right! They brought this on all of us! Meddling with things they know nothing about. The Wraith have no honor and attacked a sanctuary for refugees, people fleeing the Ori and their Priors and the Lucian Alliance. Women, children and aged taken to be what, food?"

"Harvested like grain in the field. The Tau'ri should have warned us!" Another voice joined the chorus for blood.

Bra'tac glared at the members. "You call yourselves warriors, leaders of the Jaffa people? You mew and whine like sickly cubs. The Tau'ri only had information on the Wraith's interest in Earth. If they had known about Joben, do you not think they would have taken the fight there instead of their home planet?"

"Maybe Master Bra'tac, but maybe we should forget the Tau'ri and find these Wraith. Show them how the Jaffa deal with such cowardice."

"Forget the Tau'ri? Have you forgotten so quickly and easily? You are right Marcet, the Wraith have no honor. Now you see what those on Atlantis face daily. We are cattle to this wretched race. Let us show them what damage hooves and horns can do!"

"I say let the Tau'ri deal with them on their own. They forsook those on Joben. Fortify our own worlds! "

Bra'tac banged his staff into the chamber's floor. The echo silenced the pandemonium for a moment. "We promised them ships and now you want to repeal that offer? We know where the Wraith are heading. We know their tactics. Let's greet them with our brothers of Earth. Do not shirk this responsibility for an infinitesimal chance of finding this ship again. Council members, what are you prepared to do?"

The members mumbled, hissed and whispered to one another. Bra'tac stood in the center of the chamber and waited for the answer.

----------------

"The Wraith are attacking? Sgt. Harriman, the next time you say that, qualify it," Gen. Landry snarled. "I thought we were about five minutes away from being the blue plate special."

The sergeant looked duly chastised from the glares of everyone standing in the Control Room.

"Yes sir," he said in a subdued voice. "I will provide a location next time."

"Thank you. Now please, replay the message we received."

"We received a distress call from a refugee camp on a M41-143 through the Jaffa High Council. They were under attack from a large ship with fast moving smaller ships. The ships, which I'm guessing are darts, used a transporter beam to remove the people from the planet." Harriman sat down and started a playback of the message.

A crackling voice relayed what the speaker was seeing before abruptly stopping mid-sentence. The screaming and tell-tale whine of darts played in the background for several seconds before cutting off.

"Sounds like a culling to me, sir," Mitchell said in a low respectful voice.

"It was not a full culling. The ship was there less than thirty minutes," Harriman added.

"We need the Atlantis personnel here sooner rather than later," Carter pointed out. "If the ship is already in our galaxy, then it is only a couple of days away. To state the obvious, we are running out of time."

"I know. Our daily communication is in two hours. I'll request their presence immediately."

"Don't you mean order, sir?" Mitchell asked with a sly grin on his face.

"You don't order Dr. Weir to do anything. I know, because I tried. That's one battle Jack O'Neill might even lose." Landry started for the door. "I'll make the formal _request _and we'll go from there."

The small laughs died down after his exit. "Well," Jackson clapped his hands together, "Let's get ready for houseguests."

"Which ones?" Carter asked.

"Does it matter?" Jackson asked back.

"I guess not," she flatly conceded.

The Gate started rotating and the familiar unscheduled off-world activation left Harriman's lips. "It's Master Bra'tac." The iris opened and the venerable warrior exited the wormhole.

Graveness permeated his body as he walked down the ramp. Mitchell and Teal'c hurried out of the room and reached him first. Jackson and Carter soon followed.

"I have come to report that the Council is re-deliberating whether to send help or not. This attack has set many tempers on edge."

General Landry reappeared and walked up to Bra'tac as he spoke, "I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Surely, they understand we had no advance warning."

"I have explained this and yet, they are as dense as pitch. They want to find this ship and destroy it on their own."

"Well, I'll send SG-1 to the Council except for Col. Carter. She's kinda busy here. Dr. Jackson, it's time to show some of that charisma."

"Of course, General."

"Teal'c, Jackson, it looks like we have another trip to make. Let's find the sleeping bags and give Expedia a call. We're going for a good old-fashioned revival." Mitchell turned and walked out of the embarkation room with his team in tow.

Landry could swear he heard Mitchell humming _Amazing Grace _as he left.

----------------

Teyla rested her hands on top of her P90 and waited in front of the Stargate. She was leaving her home, again. This time her journey would be even farther, but unlike last time, she would be returning, most likely. Earth had requested their presence at their earliest convenience. McKay had blustered and complained like normal, but in the end, he said they would be ready for a morning trip. Even he could not deny the urgency of the situation. The Wraith were so close.

She had overheard the SGC verbal communication of a surprise culling on a Jaffa world. The Jaffa were understandably unhappy. She sympathized with them. They had just gained their freedom from one oppressive race only to have more try and take its place. Maintaining freedom from oppression was a constant battle, and from what she gathered, they were up to it.

Ronon shifted impatiently beside her as she surfaced from her thoughts.

"I thought we were in a hurry?"

She gave her patented patient face and answered, "The scientists always triple and quadruple check their equipment. The wormhole can only be held open for so long. They do not want to deplete the ZPM."

"They worry too much."

"Yes they do," she said with a smile. She looked up at the balcony where Dr. Weir and Col. Caldwell waited for the rest of the team leaving for Earth to arrive. It was not right. Nothing against the colonel, but it just was not right. Teyla could feel it as if the very walls screamed it, as if the walls cried for the one who was missing. It was probably nonsense, but she caught Dr. Zelenka- on occasion- eyeing the walls as well. Still, it must be nonsense. She exhaled and turned towards the sounds of wheels rolling, people talking and boisterous complaining.

"Simpson, are you sure you have the extra crystals?"

"Gee Rodney, I knew I forgot something!" She dramatically answered with a slap to her forehead. "They're in with the extra filaments." She pointed to a large duffle bag atop some metal cases.

"It's not like ACE is the place for Ancient hardware," snapped McKay. "We can't turn the car around and come back."

"Relax Rodney, we have everything," eased Zelenka and then he looked at his shoes. "Take care of yourself. Don't throw yourself shamelessly at the singular remarkableness that is Col. Samantha Carter."

McKay glared. "Shut-t…up." He popped the P at the end. He raised his eyes to the balcony and yelled, "We're ready!"

The lights started spinning and the cosmic flush shot out and settled. Teyla watched as Dr. Beckett went through with his team and equipment first. The technicians and extra scientists went through next and Rodney waited with Ronon and her. He rechecked his vest as he always did only to look up at her as she gave him a warm smile. He looked back at her like she was crazy and then looked around to see who she was smiling at. Realizing it was him, he gave a forced, smile-like grimace back. She thanked the Ancestors that at least some things had not changed.

Teyla returned her attention to the Stargate and watched as Sgt. Stackhouse and his team stepped through with more equipment. Their turn was next. Teyla watched as Dr. Rodney McKay gave Dr. Elizabeth Weir a very Lt. Col. John Sheppard wave before stepping into the shimmering puddle. Her smile grew.

It was a good omen.

----------------

_A/N: Congrats to Stealth Dragon for being the 200th review! Horns are blowing and confetti is being thrown! I've never had that many reviews before…Thank you. Also the counter is well into five digits…holy guacamole! _

_The bunnies thank you for the well-wishing. They went frolicking by the pond and narrowly escaped a gator. Quick reflexes and sacrificing a duck to the beast saved their fluffy little tails. Evil bunnies. They had to partake of a few margaritas and tequila shooters from Isaac until they calmed down. Gator's keeping an eye out for them though._


	21. Ch 20: Hello, Hello Again

Chapter 20

Hello, Hello Again

Carter, Landry and a very special guest waited at the base of the ramp. The chevrons glowed and the inside of the ring spun for this scheduled off-world activation. The whoosh funneled and the puddle danced before them as the iris remained open. They gave each other anticipatory glances right before Dr. Beckett and his nurse Tracy Nguyen stepped out of the event horizon pushing carts. They were followed by Dr. Simpson and more personnel, Sgt. Stackhouse and his team, and finally, the rest of Col. Sheppard's team.

The special guest shifted uncomfortably at the sight of Teyla and the newcomer with her. Landry spared him a _keep it shut _look and greeted the expedition members. "Welcome home and for those of you that this is your first visit, welcome to Earth and the SGC. This is Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, and I believe everyone but Ronon knows Sgt. Bates. I am Gen. Hank Landry."

Teyla's eyebrow went up at the sight of Bates. He, in turn, bristled at her look.

Rodney started shifting in impatience, but before he could release a lengthy tirade, Ronon asked, "_This _is the paranoid little man?"

Bates balefully glared at the group as everyone else smirked.

Ignoring the exchanges and unable to wait any longer, McKay hurriedly began speaking, "Introductions made, all the hoopla of visitors to our fair planet concluded, yada, yada, yada. We really need to get moving here people, 'cause the Wraith are only a day or two away." Rodney carried a large metal suitcase from the ramp and placed it on the floor. "Chop, chop people!" Others followed his example.

"Nice to see you too, McKay," said Carter straight-faced.

Rodney stopped like that proverbial deer and his face contorted into a show of gas or, maybe, fear.

Pursing his lips, Carson stepped in and introduced Ronon and Teyla to the welcoming committee.

After he regained his senses, McKay barked to anyone listening, "We don't have time for all this." He tapped his watch for added emphasis.

Landry studied the two newcomers. Ronon was huge and intense. He looked like he could take on Teal'c and have a good chance at winning. The others he knew of course from their last visit to Earth. But Teyla, she was deceptive. She wore what he would call a going to meeting coat and smiled graciously as Carter shook her hand. From what he understood, she was a damn good fighter. However, Caldwell and Weir trusted her and he would reluctantly go with that for the moment. She was still an unknown factor in his book.

He was still uncomfortable with allowing her so much responsibility in deciding their course of action. She was the lynch pin of whether or not they went with the rescue plan or the immediate destruction of the Hive ship. Bates already looked fit to be tied because of her presence here. And that was the reason he included the sergeant. The man was a rottweiler about security even if he was a desk jockey because of his injuries. The man would keep an eye on the pair just in case something went wrong.

Ronon eyed the smaller man and smiled. "You don't trust us, do you?"

"No, not really," Bates replied unapologetically.

Ronon's smile turned into a genuine toothy grin, "I like you already."

As the entire group started to move to the doors of the embarkation room, Landry laughed. This was going to be a lot of fun.

----------------

He knew his voice was the antithesis of say, every good singer out there. He chose the song because, well, he really disliked Celine Dion and the song was perfect.

"All by myse-elf…" It sounded ten times worse off-key. "Don't wanna be, all by myse-elf…" Oh, it was so appropriate butchered the way only he could do it. "Anymore. Hard to be sure, sometimes I feel so insecure…"

Jim Bob was not the last child she dined on in front of him, only the first. He could see the change in some of the other human vassals that tended other things in the room including his little caretaker, Chuck. They never expected this of their Lucy. They thought that the status quo would be upheld, not with John Sheppard in the house. The bad guys like to take that one step beyond.

"When I was young, I never needed anyone, blah, blah, blah…" So he did not know all the words, so sue him. "All by myse-elf, don't wanna live, by myself, by myself, anymore…"

They were on the last leg of their journey. His ride in the Good Ship Lollipop was coming to an end. And, speaking of Chuck…she padded softly over to him without her normal supplies. Hers was coming to an end too.

He stopped singing as she approached with a determined set to her face. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" John feigned ignorance which was not too hard since he had no clue what she was talking about.

"I can't let her continue to kill innocents, mere babies." Like she wasn't one herself…_Stop the screaming of the lambs, Clarice_…

"How did you kill the Keeper? We've all heard the rumors." She never looked directly at him and kept her hands squarely on her stomach.

The Wraith were mistaken, especially Lucy. She had had the greatest enemy in her cells and he had escaped. John knew the truth-- they had all escaped. She had not fed on one of his team members since she started her game. They would have been the first, second, third and so on until he could stand no more. He was not a threat to the Wraith, not like Carson or Rodney or any of the other medical and scientific members of the expedition. The Wraith's arrogance would definitely be their downfall. They would never suspect someone like Carson to be their greatest nemesis. She should have never let him go. He might not be around to see Carson deliver his retrovirus, but he would root them on from the afterlife.

"Used the pointy end of a stunner and let it get acquainted with her gut." He was indifferently cold now; no compassion left for any of them. If this wisp of a woman could do it, then more power to her. It would not hurt to ask one more time. "Free me, and I'll show you how."

She let her silence answer for her.

"That's what I thought. Can't let go that Papa was a lunatic, hunh?"

She finally looked at him and aimed her own brand of indifference at him. "Lia and I wanted your people to know how it feels to lose everything."

"Been there, done that little girl." Maybe his world had not literally been taken from him, but he had had his life turned upside down and inside out and wrung out until nothing remained. He looked at his current predicament…case in point.

Lucy decided to come home at the exact right moment. It could not have been a coincidence. She wore a demented grin on her face. _Say good-bye to the football, Chuck._

"She knows," he whispered to Osy.

She stood back far enough for him to see a good old-fashioned stake hidden in the waist band of her skirt. "I know." She looked peacefully resigned to the job she assigned for herself.

"Go get her Buffy." He would drop the Chuck because of that stake. Charlie Brown never went after Lucy with an eight inch spike-- even if she did deserve it on some level.

Fire replaced the hollowness and she gave a dark smile. "See you soon."

The Grinchy grin curled a little tighter on Lucy's face. "Little human…" she purred.

Osy started speaking while still facing him, "My name is Osy Berje, daughter of Jae Berje," she turned to face the Queen, "remember it, spawn of hell."

Delight crossed the starkness of the Queen's features and she crooned with pleasure, "Come to your death, human!"

They ran at each other. It was not pretty, it was not necessarily the best tactic, but it was effective. Lucy was faster and stronger, but Osy was very determined. Both their blows struck home when they collided. Osy screamed as the Queen's hand met her chest and the Queen screeched as Osy's stake imbedded in her abdomen.

Linus and a couple of Jasons rushed into the room as the females of the two different species struggled. They hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"That boys is what we call a catfight. Oh no, don't break it up. Maybe they'll kiss," Sheppard jeered at the lackeys. It was the least he could do.

With her free hand, Lucy pulled the stake out and threw it to the floor. Dark blood left smears as it skittered along. The injury only intensified her feeding on the girl. Osy shriveled until the skin dried to her bones and her eyes sank into her sockets- just like everybody else. The graceful daughter of Papa Jae folded up and crumpled to the floor at Lucy's feet.

"I never, never, never, needed anyone…"

John Sheppard laughed, because it was the only thing to do. He laughed until he cried, because it was the last thing to do.

The Queen swayed, staggered and stared directly at him. "Aah, there it is." She clutched her abdomen blood oozing through her fingers as Linus helped her to her circular bed. "The despair-- it is not time yet, just hold on to it." She curled up and closed her eyes. Linus directed a Jason to go fetch a snack.

If the chance ever came, no matter how small, he was going to kill her even if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

----------------

The I's were dotted and the T's were crossed. Everyone had worked tirelessly for the last thirty-six hours. The mechanisms were installed in their respective ships. The alien contraption that Perit had so generously allowed them to scavenge was installed in an F-302. The device itself was made for a smaller ship and hooked up with a minimal amount of cursing.

The cloak, on the other hand, was installed with more cursing and a few power fluctuations. But it was ready to go. Now they waited. Teyla stood next to him in the engineering room along with Ullr and Sam. If at all possible, Ullr was more condescending and irritable than Hermiod.

"This plan has as many holes as the Delurian Black Hole cluster. It would be easier to teleport all the Wraith into space…not that I would condone such an action."

"We'll keep that in mind and while I know our little plan has a colander quality to it…" Rodney pondered how to tell an Asgard to shut-up. "I'm in a pissy mood, so stop talking."

The little gray man raised his eyebrow-less brow and went back to work.

The only real problem he could see was that they had no help. The Jaffa had not confirmed whether they were sending any reinforcements. They had sent the three members of SG-1 back with a _we're still talking about it _answer, which was no answer at all. Apparently, Jackson's negotiated skills fell far short and not even Teal'c could talk any sense into them. The Colonel and Teal'c had been thrown out right after Jackson. They were relying on Master Bra'tac to convince the Council now. They did not have a snowball's chance without the Jaffa.

Warning klaxons sounded and lights blinked on consoles around the room.

"We have a hyper-space exit forming…" Carter announced. "Engage the cloak…"

"Oh hell, they're early…." said McKay dejected. They could not hold off an attack to rescue anybody. It was going to be the outright destruction scenario.

"_Was there an RSVP I didn't know about?" _Mitchell asked from his F-302.

"No colonel, it just means we have only one option…"

A Ha'tak followed by another Ha'tak exited into the solar system. Two squadrons of Al'kesh appeared on sensors next.

"_Way to go Master Bra'tac!"_

"_You are welcome Col. Mitchell," _Bra'tac's voice responded over the airwaves. "_I bring the free Jaffa ship, Blinding Light and her sister ship, Harbinger of Justice."_

"_It is good to see you join us old friend," _Teal'c greeted. "_And to bring reinforcements when I thought the Council was about to abandon us."_

"_The Council still has leaders worthy of the Jaffa; they just needed some extra persuasion and reminding." _The tone in his voice told of a tale better left unsaid.

Col. Emerson spoke next, "_The Odyssey welcomes you and sends it regards. We can coordinate our attack. We could sure use your Gliders."_

"_They are yours to command," _answered Bra'tac. Gliders immediately left both Ha'taks and took up positions with the Earth fighters.

"_We're sending instructions for your motherships and the Al'kesh," _Emerson transmitted the data immediately.

"OK," Carter indicated, "next hyper-space window should be our uninvited guests."

----------------

Ronon had already admitted that waiting was not his strongest skill. His mind wandered to a similar day.

"_I'll see you after work."_

Those were the last words he heard Melena say. Work turned into seven years of running. This planet faced the same problem that his did that day except they had plenty of warning. He would be damned if he would let this planet be culled. He never found out what happened to Melena and the rest of their families. He could guess of course. However, he had no eyewitness accounts and no solid proof. One day he would gather his courage and find the proof.

Six-billion people. Sateda had a few hundred million. The number was unthinkable in a galaxy full of Wraith. These people's greatest enemy was not from space, it was themselves. Sateda had a few skirmishes between factions who disagreed on land or politics but nothing compared to the wars waged here. He had been reading the database in his down time on Atlantis, especially since he was visiting. They were spoiled and yet, charismatic. They were willing to help others which was also unheard of in a galaxy full of Wraith. Each man for himself pervaded the Pegasus galaxy way of thinking.

He looked around the entrance to the mountain. If any darts broke through, then the SGC, world capitals and large cities would be their first targets. Most leaders were hidden and some people gated to the Alpha Site. Teyla and he had spent the last day instructing the soldiers in hand to hand combat tactics for the Wraith. They introduced him to the Zat'nikatel. Too bad the expedition had not brought any of those along with them. They were very effective.

If the Wraith broke through, they would go after addresses for other inhabited worlds. This is where they would try to gain entrance. The culling beams from what he could tell could not penetrate buildings. Most everyone taken was out in the open. He would not let any get through here.

The outside was cool and very rocky. The remote location surprised him, although it should not have. On his and other worlds, the Ancestral Ring was close to towns for easy access. Since this world kept it a secret and under a mountain, a little remoteness was not a bad thing. The Earthlings were strange about visitors, but he could not wait to explore this little mud ball. He would have Bates show him around.

The soldiers with him had had as much experience fighting an alien foe as he had. They were ready. Now it came down to his least favorite past time, waiting.

----------------

Carson double checked the converted storage hangar. The military was exceedingly efficient at setting up medical facilities at a moments notice. They were always prepared for numbers outside of the average as well.

"Let's hope that everyone else is ready," said Dr. Lam joining him in the grand survey.

Carson had spent a better part of the last day instructing others across the globe on what to expect. Soon after realizing the scope of what they hoped to achieve, a little help from Earth bound allies was in order. Everyone with some connection to the expedition or Stargate program had makeshift infirmaries set up in large secluded areas. His image had been broadcast using satellite communications to ten different countries. He had answered questions, given scenarios and reiterated the need for security personnel to be present- the transporting of Lt. Ford from the waters off Atlantis being his main reason. The beam may not differentiate between a Wraith and the person they were feeding on.

He also tried to convey the level of distress the victims could be in. After the crisis was over, they would confer and touch base on what went right and what did not.

"Aye," he finally answered. "Let's hope."

"I'm still not sold on letting weapons in here," she added after a few moments.

"I know and I share that caution. But, after Lt. Ford's rescue, we can't be too careful. At least, the boys will leave the P90's home and only have the zats and the sidearms. That should be enough."

"I still don't have to like it," she said just shy of a pout. She left him to make her own rounds of the facility one last time.

"No, but since when do we like anything an enemy is capable of?" Carson replied solely to himself.

----------------

Teyla watched Rodney as his face paled and he hunched over.

"Mother f…" he glanced at Carter, "…puss…bucket," he quickly amended. "Not now, not now."

"Rodney, more of the nerve pain?" She helped him to sit in a chair.

"How very perceptive of you, Teyla. You have a medical degree from Carson now?" He took a long cleansing breath and let it out.

Carter looked between the two. "She's only trying to help, McKay."

"I know, I'm not stupid."

Teyla was readying her retort when the cold ache formed in the pit of her stomach.

"Dr. McKay."

"Oh, what is it now? Gonna remind me to take my medicine?"

"No, it is too late for that. They are here."

A bridge officer's voice reported over the comm, "_Long range sensors have picked up an exit forming on the edge of our solar system!"_

"Engaging cloak," Carter announced one more time.

"Shit! Crafty," commented McKay as he pulled back up to the console still shaking. "They're checking out what we've done."

"Not too surprising really, they have no experience with our planet," observed Carter.

"_Get ready everybody, because here they come," _transmitted Emerson to all ships.

Rodney spoke without ever looking at her. "Teyla, it's time. Do we or don't we?"

----------------

A/N: Well, just watched the season finale for SG-1. I had it on the DVR and just got around to viewing it. I might as well stop now- the Ori ships are way more bad ass than anything I can come up with. The End.

Maybe not, but darn it, that was great! Very exciting indeed. The bunnies are cowering at the greatness but fear not, if they can throw a duck under the bus, then those Ori ships are no match for their egos.


	22. Ch 21: Pismo Beach and All the Clams

Chapter 21

Pismo Beach and All the Clams We Can Eat!

Witnessing dawn break over an entire side of a planet was nothing short of spectacular. The HUD provided him with views of the planets of his solar system. He had only seen them in pictures or on NOVA specials before joining the project. How many missions had he flown in space and his home system was a stranger? Too bad he could not enjoy seeing the moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn or the Asteroid Belt in between Jupiter and Mars. It really was too bad that this would be his only time .

"How many?" Lucy's voice was full of wonder. "Billions?" She made it sound like that could not possibly be right. "And they are so loud. All of the chatter just begging us to investigate." She was way too cheery.

On an unrelated topic, Wraith healed-up real nice. The hole in her gut was completely gone only after a few minutes of feeding. A few snacks on others-- not him because that might have been too tempting-- cleared her complexion right up. Super strength Clearasil, gets rid of unsightly blemishes. It was too easy for them. Who would want to give that up? It was a topic for another time and other people.

The ship slowed before the asteroids and came to a complete stop. On her screen a marvelous picture popped up, the Big Blue Marble. It levitated in space like an ordinary desk globe in his grandfather's living room. The HUD zeroed in on a single solitary speck in a high orbit.

The Prometheus looked grand for a ghost ship.

"That cannot be all, human." She turned to gauge his reaction or to gloat, whichever she felt the need to do.

He, of course, remained out of the conversation. The ship gave off a signal from what he could tell. This had to be part of an SGC or, even better, a McKay plan.

"Now, where is the trap?" She studied her readouts and probably conferred with those driving this boat. "Release the darts and proceed slowly."

The ship charted a course through the belt and emerged on the other side with its swarm fully intact. The Prometheus sat there silently beckoning to them and then it spoke.

"_Wraith vessel, this is Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Earth vessel Prometheus. We request your immediate surrender."_

Sheppard liked that. That was a good one. Mitchell had a mischievous streak a mile wide. Whatever SG-1 and McKay had come up with should be fun to watch. And, here he was with a front row seat…stand…cocoon…whatever.

She did not answer or have anyone else answer. "Little human, they try my patience." She looked over her shoulder at him.

"_OK, I'll take that as a no." _Mitchell said after several minutes. "_Well, it's not like we didn't try to warn ya."_

Sheppard watched as the Prometheus had babies.

He started to hum.

----------------

Mitchell sat in his glorified movie theater seat with the kick-ass view. He had to admit he was a little nervous about jumping back in the saddle for an invasion on the planetary scale again.

"_We're drawing them in," _reported Emerson.

"I think I'm drawing them in." He paused and looked at the hologram surrounding his ship. "It's nice to see the old girl even if it's only for a little while." He watched his screen as the blip stopped on the wrong side of the asteroid belt. He would give them a few minutes to enter before trying to contact them.

Then the Hive released its darts and entered into the belt. "Come on, a little closer." He smiled as the stern of the ship exited the asteroid belt. It was time to do his thing. "Wraith vessel, this is Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Earth vessel Prometheus. We request your immediate surrender."

Might as well get to the point and pull the ship a little more his way. He did not truly expect them to answer, but it would have been the polite thing to do.

"_Colonel, get ready to light them up," _Carter instructed him.

"OK, I'll take that as a no." He started flipping the switches on the alien device. "Well, it's not like we didn't try to warn ya."

Five little innocuous satellites transformed themselves into five more Prometheus's. "Come and get it…"

The darts started to advance and the ship opened fire on the lies. He hoped they had brought enough Hot Shot for everyone. "Blue, Green and Red squadrons get ready. Serpent and Jackal squadrons get ready…Let's go get 'em boys and girls!"

----------------

Shots went through the baby Prometheus's after she commanded all guns to fire. Instead of explosions, smaller targets blinked into existence.

"A trick…" She studied the readouts and any available information. "Release the rest of the darts." She was saying it for his benefit. The ship continued to ease forward getting closer to the planet of his birth. The HUD reoriented itself to show the asteroid belt again. Only this time, the asteroids started moving.

She had expected resistance, just not ships assigned as Goa'uld. She had foolishly not pressed hard enough. But she was destined and she could not fail.

And they had caught her in a vice. She still could win; there were no large ships. These minor annoyances could be swatted away with a few well placed shots and her horde.

----------------

"All Al'kesh, begin your runs," ordered Bra'tac as the Hive ship moved far enough away from the field to ensure their safety.

The Ha'tak waited patiently on the other side of Earth hidden from view. They would be the final blow. Bra'tac paced the bridge and monitored the offensive. So far, it was going according to plan.

The restlessness of the crew was unavoidable because they wanted revenge for all those taken on Joben. And that was part of the promise to the Council; let the Jaffa deal the death blow. The Tau'ri did not have a problem with that at all.

So they played the waiting game.

----------------

Gaspar brought his ship online as other Al'kesh pilots did the same. They had pretty much attached themselves to the larger asteroids to hide from sensors and now it was time to come out of hiding. Their sole purpose was to disable the intergalactic drives so this ship could never attack another planet again.

"Beginning my run, firing at the engines…"

His first salvo of shots struck home. But the engines were shielded and he knew that it was going to take more than just a few shots to bring this monster down. Darts swarmed the area and then his day got interesting.

----------------

The Hive ship rocked from an explosion.

"Little insect stings, hardly a noticeable irritation," she confidently stated.

He watched as she directed darts to intercept the ships. John smiled to himself and kept humming. _Playing dead with the rocks, clever guys._

He watched the dog fights and ached to join. Unfortunately, he had to sit this one out. It was the Super Bowl, World Cup and the Triple Crown rolled into one. He continued to hum. Maybe, Ride of the Valkyries? Did napalm actually smell like victory? If it did not, then plasma weapons would have to suffice.

----------------

Teyla's eyes fluttered as she sought the answer…

"Rescue. There are thousands aboard and very much alive. I will locate Col. Sheppard next." She closed her eyes again. "He is in the chambers of the Queen…he is also very much alive." Teyla opened her eyes and smiled.

Rodney did not spare a glance at her. "Good, then let's wait for that moment and take it." He hit his headset. "Col. Emerson, it's a rescue operation."

Carter smiled back at Teyla and turned to Ullr. "Have the beam ready."

"It has been ready."

Carter and Teyla bit back their smiles. Carter returned her focus to the controls and Teyla looked over her shoulder to one corner of the room. Sgt. Bates eyed her with suspicion. Landry explained to her that he knew Bates and she were not friends, but if she was controlled by the Wraith who better to stun her than the little paranoid man. She had to reluctantly concede that point. He would not hesitate which was very important.

What really and truly bothered her was that Ronon actually liked the abrasive man. Such feelings were like a betrayal of some sort. She could understand it on some level though, and that bothered her even more.

She walked back to Ullr's workstation and pointed to the areas where the humans were being kept. She wanted him to know exactly where her team leader was located and that he was to definitely be transported to the SGC.

"This has been explained to me already. I think by now I understand."

She gave him her warm smile. "Thank you…it is just, he has been missing from us for a very long time."

----------------

"Damnit!" Mitchell rolled his craft. "T, you having as much fun with these game pieces as I am?" He had left the ruse of the Prometheus and joined the fight. Not much use once the trap sprung and the shots went through the ships.

"_Indeed Col. Mitchell, they are very agile crafts," _Teal'c answered swerving to miss a shot aimed at his wing. "_It will be most difficult to merely cripple one like Dr. McKay wishes us to."_

"_We need it," _McKay interrupted. "_We have to piggyback our signal on one in order for it to look genuine. So gentleman, please cripple one just enough that it has to limp home to mama."_

"Tell them that!" Mitchell yelled as he destroyed a dart with another one hot on his tail.

Mitchell shot his bird out to the side and slowed down. The dart went screaming past. He fired on it damaging its winglet. "There! That better?"

"_Just what the doctor ordered."_

Another shot narrowly missed his ship as Mitchell cursed at himself because the fight was not over.

----------------

"McKay, the cloak is starting to disagree with the Odyssey's systems. You need to hurry up!" Carter yelled from her station.

"I'm overriding his communications! Transmitting the codes and requesting the ability to off load my troops-- now! Cross your fingers and toes." McKay squinted at the readouts and held his breath.

The readout flashed green. "Carter, uncloak! Ullr, let's get those people off of there!"

"I am starting the rotation now. The quick bursts are storing individual signatures efficiently, Dr. McKay," Ullr reported from his station.

McKay gave a terse acknowledgement as he kept an eye on the storage matrix. He had gotten the idea that if the Wraith had a grocery net, why not them? Instead of completing a transfer immediately, have a quick burst grabbing as many as possible and storing them until they could be transferred at one time.

"_The Hive's noticed us, prepare for impact," _Emerson broadcast throughout the Odyssey. No sooner had the words been uttered then sparks started flying from consoles and wall units due to the enemy weapon's fire.

"We are still storing the data, Dr. McKay and Col. Carter." Ullr's fingers flew across his console. He staggered only slightly as the ship rocked from another hit. "Fifty percent complete."

Teyla closed her eyes to see how it was progressing from the other end.

----------------

Al'kesh were not the most nimble of ships. They handle well and were very responsive, but the darts could dance around like them like worrisome fleas. Bouncing up, shooting and leaving a scorched mark on your hull before you had time to scratch the last one. One-third of the Al'kesh had already fallen to the Wraith's agile little ships.

Gaspar and those that had completed the first attacks ran interference for the rest of the group until every last ship had a chance to take its turn at the stern of the hideous beast.

"Continue firing on those engines! This ship shall go no farther!" He yelled as the darts tried to keep them from that very task.

Satisfaction swelled as a lone Al'kesh scooted underneath the Hive ship and fired. Its one last shot before a dart mortally wounded it intersected with the sweet spot. The victorious Al'kesh exploded along with the Hive's hyper-drive engines. A cheer went up over the radio.

One objective down, so now it was time to give full attention to the little fleas.

----------------

"Another Earth ship has uncloaked next to that satellite," Linus reported pointing to the moon.

She smiled over her shoulder. "Another trick?"

Linus' head cocked to the side and they both shared a look of disbelief.

"The herd!" Lucy screeched. She stalked towards John. "Scramble it! What do they think stealing the herd will accomplish?"

"I have no idea, it's my day off." He returned to his new song. For this occasion, AC/DC was appropriate.

"We have lost the scrambling array." Linus brought up other images on her personal screen.

"Open fire." She abruptly stopped and appeared to study the ceiling and the walls. A look of genuine disgust wrinkled up her face. "_It _is here. What are _you _looking for?"

He realized she was not talking to Linus or him.

She stepped up to John. "Is this it?" She poked her pointer finger into his flesh.

It caught him off-guard and he howled.

Next, she sent out a mental message to all aboard her ship. "If they want the herd, then they can have them!" She sneered and twisted the finger.

"The engines are off-line," Linus reported to Lucy. "They have severed the coolant systems and subspace relays. We are dead in space."

"No matter, we can repair those; one little Earth ship cannot withstand a barrage."

----------------

"Ullr, you had better hurry. They know I am here and they know what we are up to." Teyla remained calm in her pseudo-trance. She had seen the colonel. The Queen was enjoying showing her…things.

"Ullr, any human life signs outside of the cocoons are collaborators. You don't need to worry about them as much," Carter said.

"I understand Col. Carter, but it does not work that way. The beam is only searching for human life signs, but is doing it in micro bursts so it can cover the entire ship and save the data before we transport them. It is making no distinctions because of the limited amount of time."

Teyla went rigid. "They are killing all those cocooned!"

"The last grouping is now," reported Ullr in his ultra-bored tone.

Teyla laughed and turned an evil smirk towards those in the room. "Witness," her voice dropped an octave and it unnaturally vibrated as she spoke. She could feel the control from outside her own body. She prayed Bates would live up to his end and not hesitate.

Bates came at her with a Wraith stunner raised and read to fire, but not before she knocked Carter into him and gripped McKay in a choke hold. She could hear her teammate sputtering and trying to gasp.

Carter scrambled back up to her console. Her eyes widened at what the data told her. Seconds later, Emerson confirmed her observation.

"_They are preparing to fire on Earth. We're out of time!" _Emerson yelled into communications for the ship. "_Bra'tac, it's your turn."_

----------------

"Fire at the planet, scorch it." Lucy never took her eyes off of John. She had three of her claws dangling from his chest with two imbedded in it. "Let your little friend witness your end."

She kept taunting someone and he finally figured out whom. He was a little slow on the uptake due to…well, all of this. Three little dots scampering down a craggy hole in a distant dream played across his mind. His team was here.

Warning sirens sounded and she lazily looked at her screen. Two pyramids with wide hoop-skirts exited hyper-space between the Hive and Earth. They immediately opened fire.

The combination of Rail guns and Ha'tak weapons firing upon the ship made it reverberate. He finally saw her flinch. Not an actual flinch, but one of karmic realization that her flawless plan might not end up as successful as she originally thought. That yes, she could have won against one tiny little Earth ship, but not two warships of equal caliber to her own. And, they were beating her while wearing a dress.

His constant tremor increased with the pin-cushion motif she had going in his chest. But, his need to piss off those in charge surged forward. He had an opening and he was sure as shootin' going to take it.

"Aah, there it is, **_failure_**. Oh, so close," he taunted her for a change. Wasn't turnabout fair play? "I believe you've been-- thunderstruck." Yes, this had been a grand slam of a sporting contest with front row seats to the main event. Didn't you always hear AC/DC at these things?

One of the shots from either the Ha'tak or the Odyssey breeched the hull of the Hive ship and the chain reaction began. More shots struck the weakened hull and it started to break apart.

He slowed his breathing and relaxed. He knew the end of the story now. He looked her squarely in the eye. He might not kill her with his own hands, but he could watch her crash and burn.

She answered her defeat with a screech, a last ditch effort to reclaim her perfection. Linus bowed his head and left through the fire starting to engulf the doorway and the walls. The room bubbled and boiled as she pressed her palm into his chest. Her hand pierced the already abraded flesh and he waited for that influx of strength before the rupturing of every cell in his body.

"We go together." He felt her breath on his cheek and then her head as it rested on his chest.

The walls blistered and disintegrated into melted strings of membrane and metal. He looked up as the ceiling gave way and for a spit second Earth served as a backdrop to the drama. _Fitting_, he thought.

John Sheppard closed his eyes and was consumed.

----------------

_A/N: You guys rock! Thank you so much for the responses. Well now, I hope that delivered some relief…I know another cliff hangar, but hey you just can't have too many, now can you? Those bunnies like messin' with folk._

_Be warned: The bunnies rented themselves an airboat and went gator gigging. Poor thing didn't stand a chance. They celebrated with piña coladas. _


	23. Ch 22: Here's Johnny

Chapter 22

Here's Johnny

Teyla's arm squeezed tighter and tighter. Rodney thought an eternity and a half had gone by since his teammate saw fit to use him as a human shield. Why wasn't Bates firing and stunning them both into oblivion? That was his job, right?

"The Hive ship's breaking up!"

The voice was a muted buzz; Sam's, he thought. Lovely sparkling spots danced before his eyes as Teyla's arm strengthened its hold mashing his windpipe enough where air was now an issue.

"We go together." That was Teyla's vibrating Wraith voice lurking through the pounding in his ears.

"The Hive's completely destroyed." The buzzy voice reported.

The arm unexpectedly let him go. He and all the sparkling spots hit the floor. During his descent, he squealed like a high school gaggle of girls until his head and back connected with the deck. The pain blossomed so brightly the sparkles combined into one mass of white as every nerve ending decided to misfire at one time.

"BACK AWAY FROM THE CONSOLE!" Bates ordered rather forcefully.

"Perfect timing as usual, Bates," croaked Rodney. "The Wraith that was controlling her is either dead or in that computer over there."

The next thing McKay heard was a body hitting the deck above his head. "You didn't stun her did you?" McKay laid there incredulously thinking- _leave it to Bates to fire after the danger has passed_.

"No, he didn't," Sam said coming into view. "She collapsed and the sergeant is checking her now. How are you?"

Or maybe, he was wrong. That seemed to happen a lot in the presence of Sam.

"Fine. I'm just on fire, but nothing to be overly concerned about. Severing the connection so abruptly must have been too traumatic for her brain…" He stopped there before his mouth said something that Teyla might justify as an ass kicking offense later.

"She's got a pulse and is coming around," Bates informed them with less enthusiasm than Ullr could have mustered…

…and, not to be out un-enthused, "Dr. McKay, when you are finished, shall we start the transfer?"

Hermiod would have at least asked the perfunctory question of whether Teyla and he were alright. Some social protocols he found necessary to adhere to when working with the monkeys. Ullr had no such compunction.

"I'm feeling much better Ullr, thank you. How about you Teyla, feeling better?"

"I didn't ask and can see you both are fine." Ullr continued to work at his station without looking up.

Sam held out a hand and he had a moment of déjà vu all over again. He missed that little bra thing she had going on in the Jumper…and there was no kiss this time around. He stifled a sigh.

He took her hand after shaking the image away and slowly climbed to his knees. He gave Teyla a once over as she too sat up. She nodded at him as Bates stood back and hovered like a…well, he did not know at the moment, but it was a menacing something or other he was hovering like.

The ship rocked and everyone lost their balance and ended up on the deck, including a very perturbed and cursing Ullr. Sparks flew and smoke curled to the ceiling.

"I thought the Hive was destroyed?" McKay yelled trying to regain his balance.

Spindly legs propped Ullr back up as he scanned his console. He looked up and addressed everyone in the room. "Darts."

----------------

"I'm really starting to hate these things!" Mitchell yelled as a shot singed his wing.

"_Col. Mitchell, the darts have started concentrating their weapons fire on the Odyssey and Ha'taks," _Teal'c dodged and dove to avoid his own little playmate.

"I see. Let's give them something to think about."

"_This is Pogo. Three bogeys are trying to enter the atmosphere. Moving to intercept."_

"Well hell. Blue and Jackal protect the Ha'taks. Red and all remaining Al'kesh, the Odyssey. Green and Serpent take all other comers. Teal'c, Pogo and Lulu, you're with me. We're going after the party crashers."

----------------

"_We've lost helm! Rerouting!" _The man at the steering console reported aboard the Ha'tak, Blinding Light. "_We have sustained damage to the outer ring!"_

Bra'tac listened to the communication from the other ship. His had faired little better. After the Hive ship exploded, the darts started attacking in earnest. They used their weapons as well as their ships to successfully inflict serious damage to all vessels.

"We've lost thrusters, compensating!" His helmsman called out while ripping off a panel to fix the problem.

"Do not let a single dart get by us!" Bra'tac ordered.

"I do not think they are trying to get past anymore. They're only trying to get through our hull." Another bridge officer assessed.

"I know." The hive turned out to be an easier target than the little insects. If the little ships continued to act upon their current strategy, they could possibly win.

On his screen, the darts were forming up to attack the Odyssey in mass. "Protect the Earth ship! Move to intercept!"

----------------

"Start the transfer now Ullr," Sam requested. "No point in saving all these people only to get blown-up before they're transported to the planet."

"Let the infirmaries know that there are Wraith in there as well," Teyla added staggering from another shot to the ship and her own recovering equilibrium.

"_Can you do it while we evade fire?" _Emerson asked over the comm.

"Of course, Col. Emerson. The warning's been relayed; all are standing by and transferring now." Ullr's fingers pressed the appropriate symbols on his console.

----------------

"Oh no you don't! You are _not _getting close to my planet!"

"_I must admit Col. Mitchell-- I admire the ease with which they evade weapons fire." _Teal'c stated with as much sarcasm as he could muster, which was not very much.

"No you don't, you don't have to admit anything!" Mitchell grunted out. "Not…a…damn…thing…YES! Take that!" The ship he had been chasing disintegrated in front of him.

"_Can I admire the design?"_

When Teal'c told a joke, it was best appreciated with copious amounts of drink already under one's belt.

"_Can I admire how they break apart as my weapons- as you say- shred them?" _The dart Teal'c had been chasing followed its partner into a fireball.

"That you can. Two down. How ya doing Pogo and Lulu?"

"Almost done sweeping up Colonel…" Another explosion blossomed above the planet. "Now we're done…Good shot Lulu!"

"Anytime."

"Let's get back and see what else we got."

----------------

"Col. Emerson, the last group is transferring now." Ullr made his last pass over his symbol board.

It was the only group that Rodney was truly interested in. He felt a smidge of guilt with a dollop of conscience about that too. He was sorry those other people were captured, but there was only one person he was concerned about making it safely to Earth. Finally, it was time to send him home.

When you asked most people if they had lots of friends, they would answer 'yes'. Rodney could not say that. He knew there were degrees of friendship: co-workers, acquaintances and those that just tolerated him. He even had those he trusted with his life, but would not hang out with; Ronon and Teyla fell into that group. They even stretched into another category, family.

There were only three people he would count as true friends-- maybe even equals on matters not involving intellect-- Radek, Carson, and …

"Carson? Carson, tell me we weren't too late. Tell me he's there."

"_Aye Rodney, he's here and he brought a hitchhiker."_

Rodney sagged in relief.

"McKay," Carter said tonelessly. "Look."

On the large screen behind Ullr, the darts combined into one large group. They then broke into three sections each heading for a different ship.

"Oh no. They're making a kamikaze run."

----------------

General Chaos ruled the makeshift infirmaries. Carson Beckett vowed then and there that he would do something to stop the suffering. His retrovirus was needed more than ever in his opinion. The cries for help, the shrieks of terror and the wails of despair were heartbreaking. If his retrovirus helped to end this, then so be it.

As the Asgard beam delivered the victims, the Wraith hitched a ride. Dr. Lam gave him a shake of the head when the first reports came in from China of the extra baggage. It was her way of conceding his point about the weapons in the infirmary. All other medical facilities reported similar occurrences. The security teams dispatched them with the Zats quickly and efficiently. They were proving to be most effective against the Wraith.

When the SGC's turn came, for every five humans, one Wraith stowed away. The Wraith were not stupid and they discovered the easiest way to infiltrate was to attach themselves to a victim. They did not need to come in the front door when the back was wide open.

"Gen. Landry, have Ronon and more security report to the infirmary. It's what we feared; they're attaching themselves to the humans." Beckett did not wait for an answer and started caring for the first wave of patients once all intruders were dealt with.

The victims looked scrawny and sounded terrified. No big shocker there, they had been waiting for death. The first Wraith that appeared was one of the bone-masked ones. The Zat made him stagger, but the second shot did not come fast enough and the poor lad was tossed like dirty socks. A second shot came from another security officer and a third from yet another.

"Ronon, my boy, please hurry up."

"_I'm almost there. These elevators are not as fast as the transporters on Atlantis."_

A few minutes later, Carson covered up a patient as a fire-fight went on above his head. The scruff of his coat was grabbed from behind and he was yanked off the body. He hit the floor and he skidded a couple of feet. He looked up at a male readying to use him as a shield against a second shot from a Zat. Red coalesced around the Wraith and then a hole was blown through his chest.

"Ronon, please be careful where you shoot that thing in here." Carson said with a breathless release of nervous energy.

"I did. You need to watch where you sit." Ronon stood over him and fired again on the stun setting.

Carson scrambled back to his feet and went back to work until the last batch of patients materialized. He recognized one scream above them all immediately. He shoved his way across the large room through the medical personnel and the military personnel until he saw the face he was searching for. That face needed a friendly presence to reassure him everything was fine.

Carson had helped Biro after the Genii infiltration. He knew what that one person attached to that face could do when he felt threatened.

Rodney's voice chirped in his ear asking the question he had been waiting to ask for three weeks.

"Aye Rodney, he's here and he brought a hitchhiker." As he pushed through the crowd, he noticed the uninvited guest. Before him was a Wraith Queen with her hand and most of her body attached to Col. Sheppard. Everyone in the vicinity backed away in shock. Even the Queen hesitated and looked around at the new location. The hesitation was a big mistake on her part.

Sheppard, while still screaming, removed her hand from his chest with both of his. Pulp hung from her finger tips as he held her arm in a tight, unmovable grip. The hatred radiated off of him in heated waves. Carson knew payback was about to be dealt.

"Tag, you're it." It was a low, coarse, dangerous tone. It was a warning and a taunt that would have sent shivers up and down anyone's spine. Carson thought if he ever heard a phrase from a children's game uttered with such venom at him, he might have to run away instead of play.

"Ronon, _get _over here," Beckett whispered into the radio. He caught sight of Stackhouse on the other side of the pair with more security officers. They exchanged silent nods as the two combatants squared off.

"_On my way," _answered Ronon. "_Have to finish something first."_

Holding her arm away from his body with his left, he did not hesitate and backhanded her across the face with his right. She stumbled backwards except she could not go anywhere because Sheppard continued to hold onto to her feeding arm. Without missing a beat, he brought his right fist back to connect with her jaw. Her head snapped back and then he let go.

Complete and total shock made the immediate vicinity stand still. How was this man of straw wearing nothing more than…form-fitted leggings that left nothing to the imagination beating the hell out of a Wraith Queen?

Sheppard had lost weight and muscle tone. He looked like a bendy toy sold at the holidays. He was pasty and bleeding from severed tubing and other injuries. He shook off the remnants of webbing from his arms and hands and continued to walk towards her.

The enzyme. It was the only explanation. They had beamed him here at the most opportune time. She had flooded his system with the enzyme in order to feed. Her hesitation came at an inopportune time for her. He was strong, combative and pissed. Not a good combination for her sake and she would receive no sympathy from those in attendance to this little skirmish.

The area was silent. Moans carried from other parts and fighting with Wraith continued. But not a sound was heard in this little corner of the hangar. Carson realized his section had a pay per view special going on right in front of him.

As she fell to the floor, an over zealous young soldier brought up a Zat to fire. Apparently, Sheppard would have none of it.

"No!" He growled and knocked the weapon away from the lad. He stole his sidearm before the boy was sent backwards from a good old-fashioned school yard shove.

The Queen stood up, opened her arms wide and screeched. She charged Sheppard in a flurry of claws and fabric. Hands went to ears at the shriek, but Sheppard stalked towards the charge and started firing. With each shot his lips moved as if he was ticking off a list. As each bullet struck her, her charge slowed to a staggering walk and she continued to step forward grinning. They stood face to barrel point neither conceding victory nor defeat.

"Others will come. I have shown them the way, tender morsel." The Wraith always tried to get in the last word. Blood dripped from her and she flexed her feeding hand readying it for a final strike.

"Let them try. Tell Jim Bob and Chuck, hello. Oh, and John Boy says good night you prehistoric cu..." He looked at the nearest security officer. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four, sir."

"Oh, in that case…prehistoric cow." She never got her chance. He shot her in the mouth.

His gun arm fell to his side and he took one unsure and shaky step back. He turned his head to look right at Beckett. He noticed the tremors and received a good thorough view of the wounds on Sheppard's torso. Keeping his face neutral, he returned the look with a small quick nod.

An expression of genuine fascination took over Sheppard's face. He walked right up to the doctor and gave the purest smile Carson had ever seen. Sheppard stopped short of touching the doctor's face with his hand as he continued studying.

"Hey Doc." Sheppard scrutinized Carson's face searching for something. Maybe he was trying to verify the reality. Verify if Carson was real or a figment of his imagination, to make absolutely sure he was not dreaming or hallucinating. The Wraith were very good at mind games. Carson was sure Sheppard had been on the receiving end of extensive games during his stay with them.

"Col. Sheppard? You need to put the weapon down," the twenty-four year-old lad ordered. He stepped up beside the shaking straw man. The boy foolishly guessed that since the Colonel had spoken to him a sense of familiarity had been fostered between the two. The naïveté of youth.

The pure smile disappeared and a cold faraway look replaced it. The young soldier made his second mistake. He tried to remove the weapon from the Colonel's hand. Carson could have told the boy that you do not touch someone who has wounds like those. Especially a combative, pissed off and very high Lt. Colonel who took out most of a Genii strike force by himself and a Wraith Queen.

Carson saw Stackhouse waving the young lieutenant away. It was too late. The second fight started and Sheppard began dismantling the shocked security force stationed in the infirmary.

Beckett clicked his ear piece and spoke very softly, "Ronon, my lad, _now _would be a good time to come say 'hi' to your team leader."

----------------

_A/N: Well he's home; let the healing begin! After he's done with his little row. The bunnies like the shoes and purses made out of the gator. Their little heels click on the floor. Now they shall shuck those things and float on rafts in the pool. Lazy bunnies, silly bunnies…can I borrow the handbag?_

_Thanks for all the interest in this story and sorry for the delay in the posting. It was unreadable until last night so much tweeking needed to be done. Aack! Of course, you may think it's unreadable now…ah well, I tried._


	24. Ch 23: It's a HardKnock Life for Us

Chapter 23

It's the Hard-Knock Life for Us

"Well, I got nothing," confessed Rodney. "Bates go ahead and stun us now, 'cuz here they come."

He received a hard, unforgiving glare. "I thought you were a genius, McKay. The tighter the situation the better you thought. Hmm, guess Kavanagh was right, nothing but show."

"All show, hunh? Well who got us this far? Certainly wasn't old Kavanagh slinking back to Earth with his tail firmly between his legs. He may have not been the saboteur, but he was hiding something."

"Dr. McKay, now is not the time," counseled Teyla. "Maybe, this discussion can continue when we have more time to discuss it at length."

The darts grew closer and closer to the Odyssey. One of the groups had already reached one of the Ha'taks. The Al'kesh, F-302's and Death Gliders intercepted all those they could. There were just too many. Plus, they were not even trying to get to the planet anymore and concentrated fire on the little armada.

"_Taking evasive maneuvers," _Emerson said throughout the ship. "_Brace for impact!"_

"Carter, anything? All I'm getting is babble from the peanut gallery." McKay looked at her expectantly. If anyone could think of a way out, it was Sam. She might only come in a distant second, but she too shined under the gun.

And by the look on her face, he was not about to be disappointed. "Ullr, can you home in on all the darts pilots?"

"Lt. Col. Carter, I will not transport them into space." He blinked a couple of times to show his resolve in this matter.

"I'm not asking you to. Just transport them out of their ships, we'll figure out what to do with them later, much later. Can they be held in the computer indefinitely?"

Everyone staggered as the ship rocked from another explosion close to it. The Odyssey made another sharp bank making them hang onto the consoles to keep their balance.

"That I can do…give me a moment…"

Rodney walked up to her and planted a big one on her lips. Carter eyes widened and she sputtered incredulously.

"Now you know what you're missing, Carter," he said without reservation. If he was about to die, no regrets. If not, oh hell, same reasoning. Carpe diem. Or the head of a blond you've had a crush on since you met her.

Ullr kept his head down and mumbled about monkeys and their strange carnal behaviors. Teyla looked away as well, but the big smile on her face was hard to hide. Bates just rolled his eyes.

After wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve, Carter contacted Emerson. "We're going to try and beam all the darts pilots into the matrix."

"_Understood, feel free to do it at any time," _Emerson replied as another explosion narrowly missed the ship.

Ullr's nimble fingers flew across his symbol board, "Engaging transporter, now."

Almost instantaneously, all darts floated dead in space continuing on their original courses. Without the pilots to guide them, they shut off and started to drift and wobble. The intercept ships had easy pickings and the little images of dart disappeared from the screen in satisfying increments. Hoots of joy came from all the pilots in the F-302's. Thanks came from all Jaffa pilots. Blinding Light listed in space and called for assistance from the Harbinger of Justice amidst cheers and songs.

"_Well done Odyssey!"_ Master Bra'tac called out over the distance. "_We will take care of our sister ship."_

Everyone turned around and smiled at Ullr. "Please, do not think you need to press your lips anywhere on me."

"Wouldn't think of it Ullr," retorted Carter while giving Rodney a wary glance. The sounds of clapping and cheering from around their own ship came across the airwaves. "Guess you might want to go check on your teammates, hmm McKay?" Carter asked with a nervous lilt in her voice ready to fend him off.

Rodney and Teyla exchanged glances and gave nods.

"But first Ullr, can you do the same thing to those Wraith on the planet?" McKay asked snapping his fingers.

"Unfortunately, they are in too close of contact with the others. It is a little harder, but I will see what I can do."

----------------

_This Wraith is of a higher class, _Ronon thought as a third punch landed on his jaw. He went staggering backwards and into an unoccupied bed. He watched the creature stalk forward and ready another hit. Ronon righted himself and cast his eyes around looking for his weapon. It had been knocked from his hand the first instant the Wraith materialized in front of him. This opponent had been ready to fight.

It was a fruitless search so he grabbed a tray off a small table. Keeping his full attention on the fight was not helped by Beckett's constant interruptions. He blocked the next punch with his upheld forearm and slammed the tray into the side of the Wraith's head. It recovered quickly.

This opponent was a warrior. It was not leveling taunts and trying to feed. There was something else on its mind. It fought hard and kept looking towards the gathering group. Ronon was sure that was where Sheppard was too. Leave it to his team leader to draw an audience.

However, he knew something this foul creature did not know. This Wraith was going to lose. Another security guard approached from behind and shot him with a Zat. The creature faltered and tried to force its way to the crowd. He was hit with another shot and dropped to floor. The third shot made him disappear all together.

By the Ancestors, he loved those weapons.

Another soldier brought him his beloved and went on to the next hitchhiker. Ronon went towards the silent group. As he approached, he heard gunfire in a rapid concussive succession, then a pause and one last shot. Dramatic, Sheppard was dramatic so that had to be him. Everyone else used the Zats to take the Wraith down. Sheppard preferred slugs. He easily made his way past personnel attending the injured and those trying to get a view of what was happening. Being tall helped. He could see where he wanted to go.

"_Ronon, my lad, now would be a good time to come say 'hi' to your team leader."_

Ronon heard a chorused _Whoa! _before the whole crowd started to move back. Now he felt like a Mulo river crawler trying to move against the current. He pushed and shoved his way towards the center of the disturbance. He smiled as he neared the center of the crowd. Sheppard was tossing soldiers left and right. He recognized some as his moves. He recognized some as Teyla's. And some, they were pure Sheppard.

"_Ronon my fighting style is using a helo and big ass guns to annihilate a target. Hand to hand is not my primary thing. Homer Simpson is my hero…I'll introduce you to him later…his advice is to cower like a girl…not Teyla…and wait for them to turn their back. When they are laughing so hard that they forget you are even there, you pick up the two by four and hit them as hard as possible across the back of the head. Not very sporting, but it's effective."_

Sheppard meant- you do what you have to do when battling for your life. Ronon wholeheartedly agreed with that philosophy. He also knew he had been right. Sheppard was a student. Correction, he was a sponge. Sheppard was using moves that he knew Teyla had only shown Ronon. There were other moves that Sheppard had only seen Ronon use on some of the more experienced and advanced fighters. Sheppard had learned them and now used them to defend himself from this perceived threat. Ronon also suspected that Sheppard was tiring. His breathes came in gasps and his muscles shook.

He stepped up next to Beckett and gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"Glad you could make it, lad. It's the enzyme." Ronon knew that weight all too well. He did not envy the colonel's withdrawal from the drug. Hopefully, it would be easier since- and he was guessing- it was natural and not processed. Also, he did not have a build-up in his system. If she fed on him, which seem rather obvious from the wounds, the enzyme would most likely have left with the life force or not been that great a dose to begin with anyway. Only one way to find out and that was with time.

He paused for another minute and watched for an opening. One well meaning young soldier was pushed hard and another who was trying to subdue the crazed pilot without hurting him was elbowed in the euphemistic bread basket. Stackhouse was trying to reason with his CO, but was not getting anywhere. He finally joined in only to be tripped and knocked flat on his back as a reward for his efforts.

Sheppard must have been lucid enough to know not to use lethal force. It did not stop him from breaking one soldier's arm and smashing his sidearm into another's head. Ronon stepped right on into the middle of the fracas without removing beloved from her holster. Sheppard dispatched the next contestant who had come on down and spun around to end up with his weapon aimed at Ronon's chin. The gun wavered with the rest of Sheppard's body. Tremors made his head shake and his eyes blinked in a quick series of flutters. The weapon remained trained and his grip remained tight.

Ronon grinned as wide as he could and showed as many teeth as he could. He hoped it had 'welcome home' written all over it. Others tried sneaking up from behind, but one quick glance from Ronon's eyes halted their movement. _I've got it from here._

Sheppard's blinking slowed and a genuine smile of his own spread across his face. His fog lifted allowing him to recognize the long awaited familiar face.

"Why did they have to transport us to the embarkation room; why not down here?" An exasperated voice asked from somewhere behind Ronon. The know-it-all voice ripped through the assembly right to Ronon's ears. "Don't they realize I'm still trying to regain muscle strength and equilibrium from your…" The voice stopped for a second. "Why's it so quiet in here…oh."

Ronon felt Teyla's gentle touch on his back as well as mentally grimaced at McKay's chittering approach. All the while, he continued to grin at his team leader. Sheppard looked at each of his team members and let the gun fall to his side. His head shook even more and the blinking increased once again. His smile also remained.

"Specialist Ronon Dex, name _and _rank. Teyla Emmagan, daughter of Tagan, I like Ferris wheels…" Sheppard took a shaky step forward pushing past Ronon and stood nose to nose with McKay. He grabbed McKay by the back of the head and bent it forward to look at the back of his neck. The smile faded as he stared at the healing scars.

Rodney stood back up and Sheppard held him by the shoulders with the gun still in his hand as he peered into McKay's eyes. He swallowed before speaking, "Dr. Rodney McKay…"

"Don't you say it Sheppard."

"Supaaa Geeniuuus…and royal pain in my ass."

"I hate you so much."

The purity of the two men's smiles matched one another. The moment was broken by the trembling escalating to a near seizure quality. Sheppard stumbled. His arms fell to his side and the gun fell from his hand with a loud clatter on the floor. Sheppard looked at the floor and then at the ceiling. "At least the snow's melted here in Walton's Mountain."

Ronon caught him on the way down and Carson pushed his way in between the teammates. "Colonel? Colonel, can you hear me?" Beckett began his precursory checks. "Help me move him to that bed over there."

Stackhouse appeared and assisted Ronon in getting the quaking Sheppard to the bed. "The rest of the Wraith have been dealt with Doc. Should be no more interference from here on out. The Odyssey took the last remaining ones away."

"Anyone with medical training, get with Dr. Lam to help out! The rest of you, please remove yourselves, except those on security detail, of course." He looked at Sheppard's team. "You can stand back and out of the way. I know better than to try and tell you to leave."

Ronon looked around at all the beds with people in them and smirked. They had done a truly miraculous thing today. He wanted every Wraith out there to know that. He wanted _them _to squirm.

----------------

Hands all over. This time he could fight them. But it was not like before. Softer, maybe? Gentler, definitely. But, he would not be able to handle someone touching him for a very long time.

He was home…as in Earth home and he knew it. Earth was safe. He was safe. But at what cost?

Still, they had no right to touch him.

"Colonel, the last thing I want to do is restrain you. But if you keep fighting me, I'm going to have to."

He could not stop shaking. Every ounce of energy flowing through him a few minutes ago was draining away. Yet, he could not quite trust his eyes and ears. He tried to shove all the doubts away; it just was not working.

And, he was a bastard. He had to tell them what he had let happen. He could still see their tiny little hands trying to pry _hers _off. He could still hear tiny high pitched voices begging, pleading, and crying for their mothers. He could still hear their little screams as she did the deed. The lambs were so loud. Bleating, yes, they had been bleating for him to help. He wanted to laugh, to silence them from inside his head. _Silence those lambs, Clarice…with a nice Chianti._

He looked around. What if their parents survived and found out he had let their babies die because he would not endanger the children of Earth anymore than they already were? What if…

"Col. Sheppard." It was a rich, feminine voice. "Col. Sheppard, you must let Dr. Beckett examine you."

"Teyla? The little kids…"

A pair of hands grabbed him on both sides of his head. His eyes widened and he panicked. That intimate move was way too reminiscent of _her_. He locked his eyes on the pair of brown ones boring into him. They were not tangerine. They were not the blistering fire of fanaticism, sadism and hunger. They were familiar and warm and safe and Teyla's. It really was Teyla and Carson and Ronon and Rodney and Stackhouse…he was pretty sure, at least.

"I know, Col. Sheppard. She let me see. The children are all safe. Earth's children are safe. She is gone; you made sure of that. She will hurt no one else. You are home."

"B-but, their parents? What will I tell their parents?"

"We will cross that bridge when the ship plows into it."

He looked at her, confused.

"Uh, Teyla, it's- cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I know Dr. McKay, but I like Col. Caldwell's version better." She stood up and gently let go of his head letting it sink into the pillow. It was going to be a while before human contact became normal again and his skin stopped crawling from just the lightest of touches.

Sheppard allowed himself to relax. He still trembled but did not fight the hands anymore. "Hey Doc," he said to Beckett as the doctor checked his arms from where he had pulled out the needles when he removed the webbing. "I think my shoulder's doing better, but I really don't know what they had going on below the waist."

"Well Colonel, let's just say, you gave a whale of a burlesque revue," McKay piped in. "Those pantyhose don't hide much."

Sighing loudly and purposefully ignoring McKay, he continued on, "My back Doc…"

"We'll get there in due time. First things first, let's get you stable and warm and give you a thorough going over." Beckett patted him on the shoulder and nodded to Teyla. He pulled a curtain around as she stepped back out of the way.

Sheppard let his eyes close for the first time in a long time without reservations. He closed them without having to worry how he would wake up: a hand on his chest or screams from yet another meal devoured for his viewing displeasure. There was only one question left and he was not sure if he wanted the answer for that either…or a mirror.

His eyes flew open as Beckett began inspecting his feeding wounds. He yelled and tried to shove Beckett away. Okay, maybe he was not as relaxed as he thought. Maybe, he could not take anyone touching him ever again, especially there.

Beckett held his hands up and apologized, "That was stupid of me Colonel. I will warn you the next time."

Sheppard was not sure if that would even help. His heart raced and he felt like the air just could not get into his lungs fast enough. "I'm…sorry…" he panted out.

Beckett stuck his head outside of the curtain. "Tracy, I need your help." He turned back to Sheppard and smiled. "No Colonel, I'm sorry. I need to check the wounds though. I'll give you a minute."

Sheppard realized his stay on Earth might be extended. He could not do his job in this condition. That was a worry for another day and only after he mustered up enough courage to look into the mirror.

"OK Doc, as they say, 'Try, try again.' Give it one more shot." This time he grabbed Tracy's offered hand and kept his eyes open.

And tried not to scream as Carson's face turned into Lucy's stark, white, grotesque cartoon caricature for a pulse increasing second.

He could do this. He had won. It was Carson. It was Teyla. It was Rodney. It was Ronon. It was over. Lucy was dead.

"Colonel, I'm going to clean the area now…_tender morsel_…"

Carson went flying.

----------------

_A/N: Well looky here, another little ol' storm. Adios Alberto. Lucky, lucky us. _

_The bunnies are cozy in their hutch and snacking on carrots. They continue to appreciate the feedback from everyone. We're getting there folks and congrats to all those who've stayed with me. I knew this one was going to be long and it's been fun to write._


	25. Ch 24: Pressing Buttons

Chapter 24

Pressing Buttons

"As you can see Dr. Weir, there are a few residents of the Pegasus Galaxy to be returned." The camera lens drew back to reveal endless rows of occupied beds. "And, one in particular." The camera tightened and panned down to a sleeping Sheppard. "I know this is kind of voyeuristic, but he's asleep right now. It's not going to be easy. He's had a time of it. Quite an ordeal…" Carson always tried for a positive spin even in the direst of situations.

Elizabeth looked at another report on how Ronon had had to stun John when he simply lost it over Carson examining his injuries. Even before that, he single handedly took out the security team stationed in the infirmary. She snorted to herself as she looked up at the large screen. She heard Caldwell shift to her right and Zelenka quietly snorted to her left. Lorne, who was on the other side of Radek, voiced his snort, "That's an understatement."

The camera stayed on him for a moment. She could see bruises marring his jaw and the bandages peeking out from under the sheet. The camera did not go in tight enough to see any aging effects, but she was sure Carson would have mentioned anything drastic. The hair remained as unruly and dark as ever and the face had no undue wrinkles. What really surprised her was the shadow of a beard. Someone had shaved him until recently. Curious.

"We got him Elizabeth," Rodney said officiously from off-screen. "We got all of them."

"I think she knows that Rodney seeing as I'm shooting him and the others right now."

"It's called reassurance Carson. I thought you would understand that."

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand and sucked in her lips to keep from laughing. She missed that childish wordplay. Also, the fact that Rodney McKay was trying his hand at comfort was down right amusing- wrong, but amusing.

"Dr. Weir, copies of the full-length reports will be included in the next communication. We'll see you in about two months. Beckett out." The camera clicked off and the screen went blank.

Everyone leaned back away from the conference table. "I don't think they're telling us everything, but at least he's home and alive. He doesn't look too worse for wear. Hardly looked aged at all." Elizabeth looked at her hands for the last part of the sentence. That meant there was hope for John Sheppard to return to his post. "The Earth is also safe for another day."

"Dr. Beckett recommended we look at Teyla's preliminary report. The Queen apparently did a little boasting while connected to her," Lorne said also looking at his hands.

"I've already looked over parts. She was very peculiar and very particular about how much life she bled from him. Didn't want him too weak to witness…" Weir paused. The Queen had used those words with her in the lab and now Teyla said them back. "…to witness the decimation of his people. She was very careful which is a good thing for us and him."

"What worries me is this beacon Teyla mentioned. She wanted us to know that she left directions for whoever took up the mantle next." Caldwell looked at everyone sitting at the table. "We maybe facing a similar situation sooner than we think."

"Well let's enjoy this victory for now gentleman, and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow."

"I think I can handle that," replied Radek. "But you do realize that tomorrow, there's a real possibility it'll start all over again."

Weir sobered, "I know. Tomorrow, we start preparations for the next time."

----------------

The snow had melted leaving the gaping craggy fissure with grass and wild flowers. He should have brought his lawnmower. He had also allowed himself to get dressed in nice casual attire, slacks and an oversized oxford. He looked down at his bare feet seeping into the mud. Oh well, he had gotten close. Sheppard lifted his head and squinted in the bright sunlight across the gaping hole in front of him.

This time, the three little dots on the other side were those considered blood relatives, his grandfather, mother and…he did not want to revisit that part of his life at the moment. He dug down and looked at the teen. They waved others over and all of them were from the pediatric set. They stood opposite of him, so very far away. Not even his family would let the lambs leave him alone.

His heart rate picked up and his eyes stung. They all waved and smiled. He knew they were smiling only because he could just make out the glimmer of teeth. He had to ask himself, why were they smiling? He had done nothing to save the young.

The poignant moment was shattered by the whine of a machine he dreaded so much that he froze in the bright sunshine. The machine closed in on the group and the beam reached out like a greedy child in the candy jar. That sound always made the pulse quicken and his muscles twitch. It screamed, _flee_! Instead, the entire group stood still as the dart scooped them up mid-wave without uttering a word. They did not even try to escape.

He was home, right? This was not supposed to be happening. They had defeated the Wraith and Lucy was dead. As Teyla said, he had made sure of it.

His team stepped up next to him, Teyla to his left and Ronon and Rodney to his right. They patted him on the shoulder in turn and stepped back farther away from the fissure. They too were silent in their greeting as they waved and smiled only to be immediately scooped up by another passing dart.

Now his heart was in his mouth. All wrong, this was all wrong. He stood there with his back to the maw and trembled. The water leaked from his eyes and he blinked furiously to clear them. It was not crying, not in a million years. The brightness of the sun must be irritating them. This could not be real. It had to be a very bad dream.

"Don't worry Colonel, this won't take long." The voice was a melding of two, one feminine and alien and the other male and Scottish.

He spun back around to find _her_. She did not hesitate this time and he could not stop her. For some reason, it did not even occur to him to block the hand going for his chest. Lucy's hand latched onto it stealing his breath. It was so cold, like a frigid breeze of air. However, his hands _were _free and he was able to retaliate. He could keep her from finishing what she had started. Then, he would find those darts and get everyone back.

He roared and stepped closer to her making her arm bend. He grabbed her by the throat with his right hand and squeezed for all his worth.

This time, she would stay dead.

----------------

Rodney clacked away on the keyboard. He shifted every now and again to get feeling back into his lower extremities. He looked through the glass down at the single bed in the room. Sheppard slept fitfully within it. Awake or asleep, Sheppard had been constant motion since his return.

It was Teyla and Ronon's turn to sit with the Colonel while Carson prepared him for surgery. He was removing the restraints so they could get a good view of his back and checking the bandages on his chest. The medical team was coming in soon to evaluate the needs for the surgery on his wounds and how to best proceed with the removal of the delightful device in his back.

Ever since his attack on Carson ending with Ronon stunning him with that hand cannon of his, they had kept the Colonel pretty much sedated. Of course, it was after the enzyme left his system. Unfortunately they had to restrain him too and golly, gosh, gosh did that suck. He woke up twice and flat out panicked. The screams had the other patients wailing, the domino effect. They had to move him to isolation for the sanity of all.

They made the video for Atlantis before his move to ease their minds about how the whole "ordeal" had turned out. Ordeal, Carson could make losing a limb sound like a paper cut. _"We might have to do a wee bit of sewin', but we'll get that fixed right up and good as new_." This was more than an ordeal, this was a tribulation. This was hell.

Carson had shot out from behind the curtain like a missile and now wore a bandage over his eye from where it connected with the wheel of a neighboring bed. The nurse had also been booted from the area, but Sheppard had used her to collide with Teyla to keep her at bay. Ronon let out a loud curse about someone named Kell and shot Sheppard without twitching an eyebrow. It actually took two rounds to make the scarecrow go down. That enzyme packed a punch when mixed with adrenaline. Rodney should know. Hell, all three of them should know.

Carson recovered to check him and said he was wrong. Sheppard was not a man of straw but a man of sticks. An angle, the man was all harsh angles. He was geometric in design, really. Rodney had helped to get him back on the bed and felt bone way to easily through skin. That had creeped him out more than anything else. The Wraith had kept his friend on a subsistence level of nourishment. For three weeks, he had had a liquid and intravenous diet. Carson had no choice but to continue that now along with the typical IV's until further notice. There was no way Sheppard would be able to keep down food and drink for the immediate future.

Rodney's mind drifted back to the video they made primarily for Elizabeth. Sheppard and he had their men and women in each of their respective groups as did Carson. The responsibility to them was overwhelming. Elizabeth was responsible for them all. She needed to know that all of her people were all right from Simpson to Stackhouse.

For the most part, they were. No one else had been seriously injured leaving Sheppard as the only one recovering from his…ordeal. Numbers wise, those were good odds. But they were trying to ease her mind and had said he was asleep in the video so she would not worry about the violent side of his condition. Even though a report had accompanied it describing the entire encounter, words on paper seemed less real sometimes. Of course, that condition they were trying to gloss over was: their friend was a stark, raving-mad lunatic. The rest of them were trying to help, but it was mostly up to him to recover.

"You understand now."

He stopped typing his lengthy report and looked out the glass and down at his best friend. He laughed trying to keep it from being caustic. "Yeah, I understand." But, he was Rodney McKay, caustic was second nature. He swiveled in his seat to face Carter. "I understood the first week we were there."

"I assume it was the whole being stuck in a Stargate while your team leader was slowly dying from a large bug attached to his neck that did it." She came over and sat down next to him.

"Ah, the bug incident. Yes, that is where a conscience started to take hold and the knowledge that the universe didn't revolve around me took root. Mind you, only an inkling though, a little scraggly root that all deities don't always look to me and smile. Knowing my team might be trapped on a Hive and then most likely killed when the Hive blew up had something to do with it. Watching a great-granddaddy of a Wraith throw him around and kill two members of my science team had something to do with it. Seeing Radek and him walk into the back of a water-logged Jumper to get me out…" He looked at her. He wished he could say thanks without appearing any crazier than he already did. That one, he would let go. "…did it. I understand what it feels like to lose a teammate, to support a teammate…"

"To lose a friend?" She wistfully smiled as she looked down into the room only to cock her head to the side to gauge his reaction.

"I never needed friends. They stab you in the back. Take what they need from you. Leave you the moment you need them…"

"Rodney, those aren't friends," Sam said softly.

"Well, I know that _now_."

"You're definitely not the easiest person to get to know, but he did it, didn't he?"

"Among others. I still hold onto my charm, but they accept what they can't change. They are lucky I let them orbit the sun that is Rodney McKay. I might not be the center of the universe, but I do have my own solar system." He smiled conceitedly.

"Just don't blow that one up." She continued before he could retort. "Oh by the way, I owe you for that stunt on the Odyssey, you aren't off the hook yet buddy boy." Her expression turned menacing and she poked him in the top of the arm several times for emphasis.

He shrank away from her for a second. He still had no regrets. He might have a black eye and have a few missing teeth before his return trip to Atlantis, but no regrets. He gave a long-suffering sigh and looked behind her. He blinked not sure to believe what he was seeing. The monitor broadcasting images from the room could not be right. He stood straight up and knocked the chair away.

Hell, he was in hell.

"Oh shit!" Rodney bolted from the room and Carter turned to see what had earned such a reaction.

"Oh shit is right." She turned back around to look in the isolation room to see Sheppard sitting up and choking Dr. Beckett.

----------------

Landry smile benignly at Ullr while standing in the engineering section of the Odyssey. Bra'tac, Mitchell, Teal'c and Emerson stood there with him. "Ullr, I believe you need to take a trip down to the planet."

Ullr narrowed his eyes. "I will not be a party to mass murder, General Landry."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I believe they need your help on the lone dart we salvaged. Could you please assist our people with that?"

Ullr quietly snorted and mumbled as he left in a flash of white light. The glare he sent before transporting to Earth made his feelings abundantly known as if he were yelling from the mountain tops.

"General, are we sure about this?" Mitchell squinted and shifted from foot to foot.

"Orders from the President and other international leaders, we can't afford to let any of these Wraith go. Anyhow, we can't feed them due to their very restrictive diet." Landry looked down at the Asgard console. "Humane really."

"It is for the best," added Bra'tac. "I can see no other solution without further threat to our galaxy. If they are allowed to return to their own…They have key tactical information and I do not see the need to give them any advantage. If it makes you feel any better, I will push the button."

"I agree. It is our only option unless we keep them incarcerated in the computer indefinitely." Teal'c looked at each man in the empty room.

"Thank you Master Bra'tac, but it's my responsibility. Keeping them is not a risk we're willing to take. If someone wanted to release them and use them for other purposes…I really don't even want to go there. I know Dr. Beckett asked about using them for trials with the retrovirus. They're too much of a liability if they get free. He'll have to get his own test subjects."

Everyone nodded in agreement. He did not like the order, yet he could not say he disagreed with it. It was just so easy and clean. He discovered he liked having equal footing with his opponent or even being the underdog. This was not heroic by any means, but it was necessary.

Landry's finger hovered over one of the symbols on the Asgard computer. "Well, here we go." He pressed the symbol and all data was deleted and erased.

Way too easy.

----------------

A/N: I know, being a little cold there with the Wraith getting deleted, but would you want a Fumbles McStupid opening up that icon on your computer? Gator gigging bunnies made me do it.

Apologies for the delay, but this chapter was just not cooperating and RL made it difficult to get it under control. Once again thanks to all those reading and reviewing.


	26. Ch 25: One Little, Two Little, Three

Chapter 25

One Little, Two Little, Three Little…

He would make sure she stayed dead this time. Fighting the Wraith was like playing a game of Cowboys and Indians: shoot them, count to ten, and wait for them to pop back up ready to play again. Apparently, blasting the back of her head off was just not enough. He scowled right into her face, except the face was not hers. It was a man's with dark hair instead of amber and piercing blue eyes instead of tangerine. The face was very familiar and in a good way.

Voices filtered into his ears as his roar quieted. These calm, yet tense voices spoke or, more accurately, pleaded with him to let Dr. Beckett go. Lucy's cadaverous grin returned and he strengthened his hold. They could play tricks with your head. A deep rumbling voice also asked him to release the doctor. No screaming, no yelling, no panic- except his - and no taunting were in any of the requests.

He could feel hands on him, and once again, not as he expected. They were not fighting with him; they were resting solidly on him from different positions, a sign of comfort and reassurance. Two were around his right wrist trying to loosen his grip. One hand placed just below them with another on his shoulder. Another set of hands was on his left side holding his other shoulder and his left wrist.

"Please Col. Sheppard, it is Dr. Beckett. You must let him go." He recognized Teyla's voice. Teyla did not understand that _Lucy_ would only get back up after counting to ten. Splattering the Queen's brains on the wall did not stop her. He could not let her live.

"Sheppard, let…the…doctor…go." Ronon's voice was right in his ear. He should have understood. Killing Wraith had been a matter of survival for seven years after all. "We don't want to hurt you."

It was the final voice that broke through the murky fugue. He felt a hand rest on his leg and he looked at the person at the foot of the bed.

"Colonel, if you kill Carson, then we'll be stuck with Dr. Biro. You know how much she loves dealing with the live ones. Remember the last time you were in her care? No? Let me refresh your obvious defective memory. She tried to perform an autopsy on you."

"McKay? She won't stop…" Sheppard looked at Lucy only to see Carson turning red. His eyes widened as the rest of the room and people came into focus. He retracted his hand and began shaking. "Doc…I'm…I'm sorry."

He flopped back into the bed. This was…he did not know what this was, but _it _was bad. For the second time since he had been back, he had attacked Beckett. That would definitely not look good on his permanent record. They would never let him back into Atlantis in this present state of mind.

"Colonel, it is understandable," Teyla said trying to ease his apparently very confused mind. Nothing was making much sense. "You were startled from a bad dream."

"Colonel, we're getting ready to prepare you for surgery to remove the tracking device and to repair the wounds on your chest," Carson rasped out. He kept swallowing and massaging his neck. A nurse stood near him trying to get his hands out of the way so she could see.

"Sheppard, we'll watch your back," stated Ronon and then he swore Ronon hissed.

"What?" Sheppard squeaked. He saw movement from others entering the room. The door, it was the door opening that he had heard hiss. _Please God, let that be true. _

"This is Dr. Lam and Dr. Singh; they'll be assisting me," Carson said by way of introduction. They nodded at him and he tried to smile charmingly back except Osy stood behind them winking at him. "See you soon," she mouthed. He shrank back towards Ronon who looked like Linus and he could not help it anymore and let out a surprised yell.

"Sheppard!" John looked at the end of the bed at Rodney. "There are no Wraith here. Would I lie to you?"

Sheppard shook his head.

"Then, trust us; trust me."

He swallowed and kept his focus on McKay. "All the way."

"Now that that's settled, let's get that goddamn thing out of you." McKay was intensely focused on him and John did not miss the nervous swallow.

He looked at Teyla, Ronon and back at Rodney and then sighed, "Okay." He could do this. He could trust them to watch his back. That was what family did, right?

"Col. Sheppard, I'm going to give you something to relax you and then we'll wheel you down to the O.R." Dr. Singh walked up to his side and he felt her grab his arm with the IV. His eyes flicked there and Roy stood in her place grinning. "You won't feel a thing,"

Hands held him down as he screamed and he tried to fight them. In mere seconds, grogginess overtook him and he collapsed into the bed. No, he was not on the ship with all the ghosts. He was home and his team was here. They were the people he had been focusing on to keep himself going. They were his anchor. It just took him constantly reminding himself that they were actually here and not so very far away. The ghosts were all in his head, and that sucked on toast because they kept escaping.

"John," Teyla's earthy voice whispered in his ear. "We will be here when you wake up. You are safe."

The lambs giggled in his other ear as the bed started to move, "We like her."

----------------

As Sheppard was wheeled out, Teyla grabbed Beckett's arm. "Doctor, who is the base psychiatrist?"

"A Dr. Meeks. Why, besides the obvious?"

"Have him…"

"Her."

"Have her contact Dr. Heightmeyer. I believe that watching the queen feed on children and others has had more of a drastic effect on him than such an act normally would. It may have to do with the memories brought on by our experience on the Solar Tempest."

Beckett kept looking at the door. "I understand and will relay the information as soon as possible. Right now, let me get the physical taken care of."

She stepped back from him. "Of course, doctor." She watched him hurry from the room and turned back to her teammates where McKay stared at her angrily.

"Teyla!" Rodney emphatically whispered with a hiss. "What are you doing?" His eyes darted up to the observation room where Col. Carter watched the group below her. "Do you want him to stay here?"

"No Dr. McKay, just the opposite. I want him to come back to his true home. Dr. Heightmeyer has the knowledge to help him. I do not know if Dr. Beckett has this knowledge, so I gambled." She walked up to McKay. "Somehow, the queen found this weakness-- it is a sign of strength normally, but in that creature's hand, a weapon."

"You know what Orodi did. You know what he dredged up," McKay accused.

"Not exactly, I have pieced together enough to understand. He is scarred in more ways than the physical. It is still not my place to speculate or share that speculation, especially with so many ears." She looked over her shoulder at the observation room where SG-1 had joined Carter. "Just know, the man that left this room has been exposed to many horrors and he has been on the receiving end of them as well. That man is not the Lt. Col. John Sheppard that was captured on the planet. He will need understanding, patience and strength of conviction if he is to return to us and with us. They were very generous to allow us to stay for two months while he convalesces. I am going to make the most of it and do whatever it takes to make sure he does return." She held her arm out to Ronon to come join them. "He will need all of us."

The teammates stood shoulder to shoulder in a tight circle. "Agreed," said Ronon with unwavering confidence. He looked at McKay.

"Of course I agree, what do you take me for?" He looked at them both. "No, don't answer that. It's just, he's so…" McKay waved his arms around. "…so confused. You have to let us in on what happened. I saw your preliminary report. You left out details, didn't you?"

"Yes. She was vicious and cruel. It is not as if a Wraith Queen is anything but, but she was a singularly vile creature."

"Let us know of anything we need to do or know," Ronon said in his lowest voice.

"Like she's psychic and can see into the future. Teyla the mystic, sees all and knows all," Rodney retorted in an otherworldly voice. "We'll do what needs to be done."

They all exchanged knowing glances before they were interrupted by Col. Mitchell, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c entering the room.

"Hey all, sorry to break up the love fest, but since Lt. Col. Sheppard will be indisposed for awhile, we thought ya might like to take a gander at a slice of Earth life." He continued speaking while ignoring the glares from Atlantis' lead team. Teyla had to admit, her interest was peaked. It was just now was not necessarily the right time. "Dr. Simpson has to run errands for a third of the women in the science division on Atlantis and we thought you might like to tag along."

Teyla, Ronon and Rodney exchanged surprised looks. McKay shook his head. "No, I'll stay here, but if you guys want to get a little taste of Earth…"

"No, we will wait for another day," interrupted Teyla. She had promised Sheppard that they would be there upon his awakening.

"Right. Like we're all going to sulk and skulk around here for the next three or four hours while he's in surgery and recovery? No, I know you two are just dying to get out. I'll call if there's any news." Rodney smiled at his two teammates. "It'll be my part of the contribution to the recovery effort."

Teyla smiled proudly back at Rodney. "It would do us some good to get out. And, I must admit, I am curious about your world."

And, Ronon smiled mischievously. "I feel the need to move and waiting around is not my thing."

Mitchell clapped his hands together and practically cheered, "Good! It's settled then. Come on; let's get you some less conspicuous clothes."

Ronon looked down and pointed to his leather clad self. "What's wrong with this?"

Mitchell laughed, "You'll see."

Jackson also laughed, "This should be fun and informative."

"Is Bates going?" Ronon asked.

"He insisted," replied Jackson while giving Teyla a sideways glance.

Teyla sighed and Ronon nudged her with his elbow. "Good, he can show me the dangers of this world, and I want to check out TV."

"No, no you don't," replied Teal'c. "It is very confusing."

SG-1 herded the Atlantis team out of the room. Teyla looked at Rodney and bowed her head in acknowledgement of his part in their plan to help John. She turned to Mitchell and asked, "Where are we going?"

A gleam entered the colonel's eyes. "Only the happiest place on Earth!"

----------------

"Teyla and Ronon have been introduced to Wally World," Rodney relayed to a really doped-up Sheppard. "They got back just in time to greet you when nurse-zilla rolled you out. I can see why some are called orderlies. They should actually be called bouncers."

Sheppard was healing physically. It had been about three days since his release from the Hive ship and from the clutches of the Queen of the Damned. He was on an antibiotic, an anti-depressant and liquid gruel. There were probably other things going on in and through his body that Rodney guessed the better part of valor restricted him from asking or knowing about. The Rocketman was flying high as a kite, right now.

"Back to Pegasus goes to Wal-mart-- Apparently, Simpson had a list from just about everyone in her section and a few from other sections. I believe some might have even been military. Some of the items, I think we manly men need know nothing about, but other stuff we need to get for ourselves as barter items for the poker games. _Snickers _are a real valuable commodity, _Cheetos _too. The cans of _Starbucks doubleshots _are liquid gold and I'm trying to figure out were to store the cases since they're not part of my official supplies requisition list."

Sheppard blinked slowly and stared at an indistinct point in space. Rodney hoped he was listening. He hoped there would be some kind of interaction with him. The only time the Colonel showed any sign of recognition to outward stimuli was when he was touched. Then he showed recognition with extreme prejudice resulting in bloody noses and black-eyes. To Rodney's infinite sadness, the restraints were still present and very necessary.

The damnable tracking device had been removed with little problem according to Beckett. They had had enough practice with Ronon, Elizabeth, and him so the fourth time should have been a piece of cake. He really hoped that it was the last time for any of them to be tagged like cattle. The other wounds from the feedings and from being poked with claws were repaired with minor surgeries. They had to monitor him to make sure that all organs were functioning correctly and not malfunctioning from the stress of the queen's repeated touch.

The recuperation process was getting under way, as well. Tomorrow, they would start physical therapy once a day so his muscles would not lose anymore tone. Food was going to be reintroduced any day now and boy, was that going to be fun. And to reiterate, they had him hepped-up on goofballs to keep him from killing anyone whether it was on purpose or accidentally when they finally released him from the restraints. Rodney decided this was pure, unadulterated hell watching his friend flounder in a miasma of distantness.

"Ronon was in heaven with all the little samples they hand out. It was late so the store only had a few people in it which meant more for him. Well, that is- empty for Wally World. Bates had to practically stun him and drag his gluttonous ass out of the frozen food section. Then, he found the chips aisle, the bakery section and the cereal aisle-- all the pretty colors distracted him. I think he was hoping to spend the night there."

Sheppard shifted and briefly matched gazes with his friend. It was so quick, McKay almost missed it. Hope fluttered for the briefest of seconds. He exhaled and continued on with his tale.

"Teyla loved all the clothes, the skirts especially, freedom of movement she said. Then, she loved the gardening section and wanted to bring the seeds back to try on the mainland. Unfortunately, that idea was nixed due to contamination of native species or some other such nonsense. Maybe, we can set up something in hydroponics or the greenhouse on Atlantis? I'll have to suggest that at the next meeting."

Sheppard's eyes flicked to different spots for a moment never resting on McKay. It was like he was watching someone else walk around McKay's perch on the stool. Rodney looked around nervously and tried to shake away the willies.

"Both Ronon and she could not be moved from the sporting goods. The fishing rods and reels were a hit. We're surrounded by an ocean with sea life; we should fish. Next, they discovered pool cues and thought they were fighting staffs. Really flimsy fighting staffs-- weapons of the easily breakable kind. Clearly, that's something we need, a pool table. Spent a lot of time using the crappy ones in the basement of the science labs at the University. Maybe, I could become the first Pegasus galaxy pool hall grifter…"

A smile crooked in one corner of Sheppard's mouth. Rodney swallowed and let a small smile play on his face as well.

"You see, Paul Newman and I have the blue eyes in common-- Dr. Rodney McKay, the Hustler. Although, I'd like to keep my fingers intact, thank you very much."

"…y'…wish…" whispered Sheppard. His green eyes found the blue ones of Rodney's for just a second before they returned to that indeterminate point in space.

McKay rubbed his face to hide the emotions surfacing. He could not look up at the observation room where the rest of his team and Carson sat or they would see his traitorous watery eyes. His stomach did the good kind of flip-flop and he continued on with his story.

"Teyla truly fell in love with the personal care aisle and all the hair care products. You know how she's always complaining how unmanageable it is."

This time, he did look up to the smirking faces of Teyla, Ronon and Carson. Teyla wore her obligatory eyebrow arch with a tour de force glare. He was going to pay for that one. It would be worth it though; Sheppard had reacted to something other than touch and it was not followed by a punch. Rodney might have moved himself up the rung from Hell to Purgatory.

----------------

_A/N: Well, you have reached the second to last full chapter. There is also a very short epilogue and that will be it folks. The bunnies rejoice at finally being able to do other things besides work on this story. I knew it would be long but did not think it would take months to tell. Alas, it was fun though. Thanks for sticking with it and for all of the feedback. _


	27. Ch 26: Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 26

Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

"The Pegasus Express is boarded and ready for departure, sir," Mitchell imparted as Gen. Landry and he walked down the corridor to the medical facilities. "All who are ready to go back home are on the Odyssey including some of the expedition members. They will rendezvous with the Daedalus in about a week and a half."

"I hope the transfer of passengers goes easier than transferring flights in Atlanta," replied Landry with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Yes sir," chuckled Mitchell. "The Ha'taks will be departing within the next hour, as well. They'll take all survivors of Joben back or to other Jaffa held worlds. The Blinding Light, according to Sgt. Harriman, has been repaired just enough to be towed to shipyards on another Jaffa held world."

Landry nodded and grunted in return.

"For what it's worth, it was the right call, sir." They stopped in front of the door to the isolation ward.

"Of that I have no doubt in my mind, duties of command, Colonel." Landry pushed the door open and they walked down another corridor until they stopped in front of another door. "After seeing and hearing all those people, I have no regrets about pressing that particular button."

Mitchell opened the door to the room and allowed Landry to enter. Dr. Beckett, Teal'c, Jackson, Carter, Sheppard's team and Master Bra'tac were already within it waiting for the pair. Sheppard lay on the bed in the middle with eyelids at half-mast.

"Glad everyone could make it," Landry greeted in his gruffest, yet most personable way. Ronon hovered behind the head of the colonel's bed while McKay and Teyla took up either side. Landry realized this team had become a unit. He had heard stories about McKay and Sheppard's maverick and almost anti-social ways, but somehow, those were overcome and a tight little group had been born. "Good to see you a little more awake Lt. Col. Sheppard."

"Good to be a little more awake, sir." The voice came out low key and respectful. "Good to be home, sir."

"Colonel, are you sure want this audience for the debriefing?" Landry asked.

Sheppard looked between McKay and Teyla and then up through his eyelids to where he guessed Ronon to be standing. "I think I'll need them, sir and the rest need to hear what I have to say first hand."

"As you wish, son. Well, let's get on with it." Landry grabbed a chair to sit next to the bed. SG-1 backed up to a wall near Master Bra'tac and Sheppard began at the beginning with falling off a cliff and ended at the ending with his being deposited in the SGC infirmary. Landry interrupted only sporadically to clarify a few areas and allowed him to stop when he needed. The story had taken its toll and he closed his eyes for a moment. He started speaking before opening them.

"Master Bra'tac, I wanted you here so you knew what happened to your people, especially the children." Sheppard licked his lips and looked across the room at the warrior. "I'm sorry I did nothing."

Bra'tac took a deep breath and straightened before answering, "These are dangerous times, Col. Sheppard of Atlantis. You did nothing-- so you say. I say you did something by marking their passing and letting us know. We are a warrior race, born and bred to fight. It sounds like Rein did that and understood your deflection. We won in part because she did not expect the Jaffa to be here. We will remember them and they will not have died in vain. Rein's mother is aboard my ship as is his youngest sister. I will tell them of his role."

"Thank you sir." Sheppard looked at Beckett. "I have one last thing. Doc, they don't want your cure."

"Aye lad, which would be my way of thinkin' too." Beckett pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and walked to the bed.

"They don't want to give up their immortality and why would they? She had a fatal wound and sloughed it off as if it were a paper cut. You realize your retrovirus is a weapon now, right?"

Landry watched as Dr. Beckett's face became somber and his eyes lost a little light. "Aye Colonel, it is readily apparent now. In the beginning, it was a way to end the cycle. After witnessing the suffering from a few days ago, I know it is needed and what it is. I suffer no delusions of it being anything but a weapon now."

Landry stood up and patted Sheppard on the leg. "You get some sleep and thank you, Colonel." He motioned for Beckett to follow him with the others and left the little room.

Once they were in the hallway out of earshot, Landry stopped. "How many times did she feed on him a day?"

Beckett seemed taken aback for a second before answering. "Anywhere from none to four or five times depending on her mood or on his condition. Once again, she was very controlled in her actions."

"She used it as a torture device. Not just on him, but on him through the others. Is he going to be OK? That's a lot to handle."

"The Colonel's very resilient, but from what Dr. Meeks has reported, it'll take a while to rebound from this. His team's here so that counts for a lot, actually."

"I can see that." Landry looked at SG-1 and Bra'tac. "Let's leave them to rest. I think his team is looking as drained…" He stopped and winced. "Sorry, poor choice of words-- as fatigued as he is."

"You get use to the choice of words where the Wraith are involved." Beckett smiled sadly and opened the door to the room. "I'll make sure they find a bunk."

"You do that Doctor." He turned to face the exit at the end of the corridor and started walking. "Well, let's get you underway Master Bra'tac and say bon voyage to our out-of-galaxy guests."

----------------

He turned his head to the side and looked at his graying sideburns in the bathroom mirror. He wrinkled his nose as if they gave off a foul odor. He turned his face back to the front and squinted. There were definitely more fine wrinkles around the eyes and gray in the beard. Distinguished, that was a nice way to say old. She had taken years off. Sheppard stepped back and looked at the bottle of _Grecian Formula _that Rodney had brought as a joke.

_Ha, ha, very funny, it is to laugh._

Just not as many years as she could have, thank God. It had taken a whole week before he had the C. A. Jones to view the damage for himself. Everyone kept saying it was minimal, but he figured they were trying to humor him. They were right, but it still disturbed him. Yes, he was a vain son of a bitch, but damn it, he liked the way he looked before hand and wanted to grow into this stage normally like everyone else got to. She had plopped him into it without letting him get prepared with the occasional wiry gray hair poking up and being a thorn in his vanity. Carson speculated anywhere from two to five years were taken from him. Then, add six months and he was owed a few birthday presents, hence the hair coloring goop. Rodney was such an ass.

But, he was Sheppard's ass…and that didn't come out quite right.

"You're late."

Sheppard used the mirror to look at Ronon standing in the doorway behind him. "I'm coming Mommy Dearest, just putting on my face. We still gotta work on that knocking thing, don't we?"

Ronon raised an eyebrow, "You know, I've been watching that ingenious little box and now know of what you speak."

Sheppard turned to face him. "Do tell. Then, McKay and I will have to come up with even more obscure references to stump you with, my dear."

"Red Riding Hood."

"Very good, come on I don't want to have to pay for a missed appointment with the good Dr. Meeks." They exited the quarters assigned to him after his release from the infirmary about a week and a half ago. It had been nearly a month now and he was getting better day by day.

Sheppard looked at Linus walking next to him and did not miss a beat in talking with Ronon who he knew must be there. Alright, maybe not completely better, but it really was getting better.

"The physical therapy is coming along nicely. I'm only calling him the imaginative names once or twice a session now." He gave a satisfied smile as Ronon's voice answered from Linus' lips.

"If you want, I could show him a few techniques from Sateda. That would help step up your recovery and name calling all at one time."

"Why thank you Ronon, but I'll let him continue with his own creative and painful ways." They stopped in front of an office and Sheppard grabbed the door handle. "Well, thanks for the escort. I believe Rodney will be meeting me for lunch and Teyla has dinner duty. Where are you sight-seeing today?"

"A place called McDonald's."

"Enjoy the fries, they have the best." Sheppard took a step and stopped. He looked at the retreating back of Ronon and yelled, "Thanks! Again!"

Ronon gave a casual wave and continued on his way as Sheppard stepped into the office. It was sparse with a desk in one corner and two chairs set-up in the middle so that two people could have a nice little chat. The obligatory couch sat against one wall and bookshelves adorned another. Meeks stood up from behind her desk and motioned him over to one of the chairs.

"Good to see you Col. Sheppard." She gave that warm you-can-trust-me-with-you-deepest-and-most-troubling-thoughts smile. Yeah, right.

"Nice to be seen." He sat down and crossed his ankle on top of his knee and rested his hands on the armrests. "Sorry I'm a little late."

"No problem, shall we begin?"

"By all means," he answered as he looked at the two of them. Osy squatted by Meeks' chair and batted her eyelashes at him. The drugs they had him on to curb his outbursts were fantastic. He hardly panicked anymore when they would appear. There was only one vision that did disconcerted him enough for a double take and there it was right on cue, the pediatric set sitting on the floor at his feet listening to the doctor as if it was story time. They giggled and whispered trying to hush themselves so they could hear the doctor.

He swallowed, grabbed the arms of the chair a little tighter and smiled. He would do his song and dance. He would do whatever they said. He would tell them what they wanted to hear. He had one goal and it was to return to Atlantis.

"The hallucinations are becoming more and more infrequent. And, I haven't strangled anyone today. Of course, the day ain't over with yet," he said cheerily.

She smiled back at him. "That's certainly good to hear."

----------------

Rodney walked the corridor and paused to the side of the open door. He scrunched up his face and debated whether he should go in or not. It was time to pay the piper. He screwed whatever courage he had and stepped into Sam's lab.

"Well, hi McKay," she greeted jovially. He blinked and watched her as she stood at her laptop. "I was hoping you and I could go over some of these readings from various artifacts from Merlin's stock pile."

"Um, well, sure." He hesitantly scooted over to her work bench. "What do you want me to take a look at first?"

"You know you're a spoiled brat, don't you McKay? But it seems you've grown up a little. I'm sorry, but I still have to do this." She turned abruptly and punched him right in the eye. His head snapped back in shock and his brain took a moment to register that that had really hurt.

"OW!" He grabbed the puffing mutilated part of his face and bent over moaning. "Ow, ow, _OW_!"

She grabbed both sides of his head and stood him up. She kissed him with the passion of a thousand burning suns or something to that effect if those trashy novels were correct. When she finished, she whispered in his ear, "And that is a taste of something you will never, ever have." She let his head go and left with a swoosh of self-satisfaction.

McKay's brain shut down and he stared dumbfounded at her afterimage. He did not know whether to go to the infirmary for an ice pack or back to his quarters for a cold shower.

Or, he could just stand there and die of pure bliss.

----------------

"She fucking sucker punched me and then made my toes curl…what kind of message is _that_?" A wet-headed Rodney asked Sheppard as they left the psychiatrist's office. "I mean, I know she means I'll never, ever, ever go out with you, but damn, I almost want to piss her off again just so she feels the need to punish me, again. That's down right perverted, isn't it?" He held the ice pack to his eye and removed it occasionally to probe the tender area as they walked.

Sheppard laughed silently to himself. He was only half listening because he wanted to crush that windpipe with his own bare hands just to make the man stop talking. As he said, those drugs were fantastic and he was cool as a cucumber. He would not act on such a vile notion.

Instead, he sent a stinging barb hurtling towards the scientist. "I've seen you sneaking peeks at Sgt. Smith's porno mags, perverted suits you nicely, McKay."

"Oh please, I was reading the articles…Okay, so I wasn't, but we're out there all alone and a guy has needs that I think you have exercised on occasion there Buckaroo Bonzai. So you have no right to lecture me, Lt. Colonel Libido."

They entered the mess and got in line. "Two or three indiscretions and I'm labeled as a lothario. Please, you know who we've gotta get lessons from is Zelenka. I don't think he's spent a night alone since we got to Atlantis. The women must dig the accent."

They filled their trays and sat at a corner table away from everyone else. Crowds were still a little disconcerting for him and he was still waiting to see the open sky. He half-heartedly listened to McKay's prattling about some of the technological discoveries they made about the Wraith Cruisers and other inanities until Lucy suggested he remove McKay's voice box from his throat. She bobbed her head back and forth in that serpentine way of hers as she straddled the chair behind McKay.

He imagined his hand sinking into the flesh and ripping the vocal cords out and then tying them into a bow. He kept nodding amicably as McKay went on about the finds that the SGC had made in their battle against the Ori. John slurped on some Jell-O and smiled back as he went through different knots he could make with the pieces of sinew.

Midway through a discourse on Merlin's obtuseness, McKay stopped talking and looked with great disgust at John's hand. He followed Rodney's line of sight to the object of his disgust. Somehow, a lowly house fly had breached security and reached the lower levels only to crawl on his left pointer finger.

He looked at the little insect and thought, the next time he came across the Wraith, turn about was fair play. They would be on the receiving end of his loving touch and kind words. He looked back up at Lucy and scowled at her. He was not a vengeful man by nature, but her kind would pay.

McKay stared expectantly at Sheppard. "What's wrong? And, eeww! Do you know the kind of germs those things carry?"

Sheppard eased back in his chair keeping the hand with the insect on it very still. He rested his elbow on the back and smoothly replied, "Nothing, just thinking about how glad I am to be here." He lifted his other hand up and shooed the persistent fly away. "Better?"

Rodney smiled back. "_Yes _and me too," he answered out of order.

Sheppard could keep control because he was fine. Did he not just prove that he had control over his more violent impulses? Rodney's neck was unmarred, and the little winged insect was alive and annoying another diner.

Now he knew that John Sheppard would not even hurt a fly--

--unless provoked.

The End

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_A/N: This is where this story ends with a little Hitchcock. _

_John's grayness is supported by a picture I saw from Season 3's episode, Sateda. He's joining the rest of us that are approaching or are in our 40's. I jumped up and down and went whoo-hoo! when I saw those little nasty gray guys in his sideburns. _:)

_I have also posted the Epilogue as well._


	28. Epilogue: Tonight's Episode

Epilogue

Tonight's Episode…

_A few months later…_

She had always thought she resembled the herd animals way too much. Her abnormal brown hair color and tanned skin were constant reminders of the path her kind had taken to come into being. Then, this poor brethren had found his way back to her Hive and he was changing from human back into his true form.

Those soon to be dead animals had even named him. Blasphemous.

She stood next to the table with the unconscious form and watched as her lead scientist took samples for testing. The door to the lab opened and one of her males entered with his eyes cast down.

"My Queen, I am sorry to interrupt, but we have just intercepted a message from a beacon. It confirms his statement that the Lanteans survived along with the city." He paused as she turned to face him. "One of the lower echelon Queens took it upon herself to build intergalactic engines and head to Earth. She has not returned and it has been a few solar months. We must deduce that the stories circulating of a failed attempt to cull the planet are true."

"I agree." She put two long fingers over her lips and tapped them. "Destroy the beacon. When he awakes, bring him to me. Next, inform our allies of our intent and set up a meeting. We have much to discuss because it is time to pay the Lanteans an overdue visit."

She left the room and walked to her private chambers. It sounded as if this inferior Hive Queen had fallen victim to her own pride. The foolish creature had tried to go it alone and lead her Hive to glory.

She looked at herself in the mirror and held her head up high. She would learn from the other's mistakes. Pride would not enter into it. She was older and had more experience. She also had allies.

Now, it was her time to lead.

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_A/N: Thanks for staying until the end. I believe this is where my next story begins, but we will see won't we? Enjoyed and had fun, the bunnies send their many thanks for all the carrots._


End file.
